Get With It
by Sasukeluva 4eva
Summary: AU: "Can you tell me what "retardateur" means, Karin-san?" "Well DUH, it means "retard repellent," sensei. Get with the what, sheesh!" It wasn't any wonder Sakura wanted to bash her head in. Surrounded by idiots and belittling her self-worth by indulging in their mockery day after day? This job sucked ass.
1. Laugh It Up

**Author's Note:** _Missed me?_

 **Categories:** Humour/Drama/Friendship/Romance

 **Rating:** M

 **Disclaimer: This applies to all future chapters. IDNON, BIDHTOS! That is all.**

Starring the enigmatic character stylings of: Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto. Various NARUTO charas make cameos (what can I say, it would be an empty world without them), as they do.

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 ** _Summary:_** _"Can you tell me what "retardateur" means, Karin-san?"_

 _"Well DUH, it means "retard repellent", sensei. Get with the what, sheesh!"_

 _It wasn't any wonder Sakura wanted to bash her head in. Surrounded by idiots and belittling her self-worth by indulging in their mockery day after day? This job sucked ass._

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 ** _Sasukeluva 4eva presents;_**

 **G** e _t_ **W** i _t_ **h** I _t_

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Chapter **One:** _Laugh It Up_

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Sakura sighed. Exasperation, in all of its collective might as an adjective, didn't even begin to describe her frustration. The monotonous ticking of time passing by on the wall overhead, and the tense scratching of pens against paper were echoing in a resounding thrum in her eardrums, and she felt her motivation to finish marking her students' exams ebbing away with the need to procrastinate. Rolling her shoulders, stiff from slouching over her paperwork, the pinkette leaned back in her chair, her spine giving off a satisfying crack as she gazed up at the plastered ceiling above her.

The white paint was flaking away from the water-stained surface, and a plethora of jagged cracks had begun to form upon the worn down plastering. Sakura could almost count down the exact number of them without needing to check for confirmation; although there was always one or two more unseen lines that appeared the more the roof was rained down upon. Someone seriously needed to patch that up. Dated as the school building was, it was highly prestigious and held in the greatest of regards, so refurbishing the teacher's lounge shouldn't have been too much of an effort for the council to fund.

Scowling prettily, Sakura raked her fingers through her bubble gum pink hair. It was trailing further and further down her back, resting comfortably between her scapula, and it was getting harder for her to maintain.

 _I really should get it cut one of these days_ , she mused plaintively, tapping the head of her red Biro against the solid base of her desk as she gnawed on a freshly manicured nail. Her best friend, Yamanaka Ino, worked as a beautician, and had practically insisted she do her nails for her on a drunken night the weekend previously.

"You spend way too much time working and spoiling your students with your magnificence, Forehead Girl. You need to let go and indulge yourself for once!" The blonde bombshell had proclaimed imperiously, busting out her nail kit and setting to work on beautifying her whilst Sakura pondered the practicality of longer cat claws. Sure they looked pretty, painted with a generous lacquer and a bright and bold finish. But how would she cook, clean, work her garden at home without them getting in the way? It was all well and good for Ino. She was a practiced Prima-Donna, born into privilege and made for the glitz and glam of fortune and fame.

But Sakura was always the middle class girl, the one who had played in the dirt with the boys and had loved gardening with her mother and father on the weekends. She just didn't see the need for dolling up, even if she did feel a little better about herself as a young, independent woman. So as regret niggled away at her psyche over her inability to both be decisive and committed to her job, and stay true to the woman within, Sakura leaned further back; green eyes rolling inwards as she sounded her protest in the form of a groan.

She was _so_ not in the mood for teaching today. It wasn't as if she didn't love her occupation. As a student, she had loved to learn and had wanted nothing more than to share that same knowledge with those around her. She had always placed her education at the highest plateau of her priorities, and so naturally becoming a tool for divulging her expansive studies had been an easy choice to make. What wasn't quite so apparent was her ability to interact with those only a few years younger than herself.

She had never been very good at relating to the people around her when she was in school; she had been the shy wallflower that clung to the shadows of her boys so that she never had to deal with the stress of conformity. Yes she was smart, incredibly so, but socialising had never been her strong suit, and so learning to deal with her smart ass students, at the height of pubescence, was incredibly trying.

 _Tick, tock, tick, tock_.

A dull throb surged through her brain. The beginnings of a headache, surely.

She rubbed her temples, knowing the gesture was futile at best. Reading paper after paper on La Formation du Subjonctif Présent was slowly eating away at the last vestiges of her patience, and she seriously needed a long moment to unwind from the torture of French grammar.

 _Why did I choose languages again? There is nothing vaguely romantic about the walls having ears to... Really? How juvenile._ Sakura scowled at the rude commentary on the page about fucking loudly against bedroom walls, feeling more than vindictive as she crossed out every mistake and corrected the risqué letter-to-a-fuck-friend with a malice unseen in ages.

"What else did I expect from Suigetsu? Honestly!" The pinkette continued on her vicious marking spree, knuckling down (at last) in order to finish off this exercise of self-abuse. "Immature little twerp! Where does he get off writing stuff like this? _'Je veux vas te faire encule toute la nuit, enseignante.'_ Ugh, what a little—"

Sakura bit off the last of her tirade, clucking her tongue in clear distaste as she ran a red line through his sentence and corrected him with a biting retort of her own. Once more, she sighed. There were only two students in her class of thirty that had shown any real potential and aptitude for languages; perhaps the rest weren't motivated to succeed. They had probably taken the class as an elective filler, that wasn't going to affect their future outcomes.

 _Well I'm sorry to say that this will_ _ **most definitely**_ _adversely affect most of your senior marks_ , Sakura thought with a sneer, as she sifted through the last of the sheets of exam material. Still gnawing on her thumb, the rosette brushed a rebellious strand of pink from her forehead to its rightful place behind her ear, eyes focused on her task even as the bell for first period rang clear for all to hear.

"Nearly done, you can do this Sakura...!" She muttered softly to herself, her mantra steeling her resolve even when Hatake Kakashi's medically masked face popped into view; startling her to the point of screeching out loud in surprise.

"Oh my god, Kaka-sensei! Way to give a girl a heart attack! Jesus!" Hand over her thumping chest, the pinkette breathed in a calming breath, throwing a pointed glare in the elder man's direction with as much venom as she could muster. The silver haired man merely shrugged her response off like oil over water, unperturbed by her wrath as he erected himself once more into his trademark slouch.

"Sakura. You seem awfully focused considering you're already late for first period. Don't you have a big test prepared to torture your students with this morning? You wouldn't want to be late to the show, especially since you're running it and all." Kakashi murmured noncommittally, a kind smile lifting the lines around his dark eyes as he gazed down at her. Sakura smiled regardless of his unexpected scare tactic.

He was such a kind man at heart, even when his outer visage firmly dictated otherwise, and the fact that her once English teacher now turned principal was expressing his concern for her tardiness when he surely had better things to do meant a lot to her. He had always been hyperaware of her existence, even when she quailed into the shadows of herself as an unassuming teenager.

"Don't you have a school to run, sensei? Why are you here pestering the overworked French teacher anyway? Planning on procrastinating your way out of doing paperwork?" He grinned at her behind that confounding mask of his—the mask he _swore_ was used to manage his terrible hay-fever—never once looking away from her pretty face. She really had grown into herself over the years. He was so indescribably proud of her for turning herself around. She had always had the potential to be great; she had just needed to see it for herself.

Shrugging in plain disinterest, Kakashi stuffed one hand into his black slacks pocket, the remaining appendage pulling out a worn copy of a little orange book that caused heat to swell beneath her cheeks. She remembered vividly the contents surrounding that vile piece of trashy literature, namely because one Uzumaki Naruto had a keen investment in it during his junior and senior years. Sakura had grown up with him and his best friend, Uchiha Sasuke, and had often found herself using them both as shields to defend herself from her childhood tormentors. She also remembered keenly how much she had secretly adored the dark haired Adonis of her youth, often dreaming of the day she would win his affections once and for all.

Of course that was all the childish whimsy of a naïve little girl who understood nothing of the complexities of love, and everything that it entailed in turn. She had grown up since then. Perhaps not out of her feelings for the quiet Uchiha male, but certainly out of her tentative "crush stage." The fact that they had not seen even a sliver of each other in five years was a little saddening, but every now and again she would find a crisply folded letter embossed with an impeccably distinctive cursive awaiting her eager perusal in her mailbox; detailing another fantastical adventure he had taken in his travels.

Sakura remembered his determined expression to explore the worlds outside of his own after he graduated, so that he could better grasp what he really wanted to do with himself when the time came to finally decide. Of course, Naruto was in for the long haul, and thus they had departed without her, leaving her to drive herself into a work-driven stupor without their guidance or comforting presences.

She had really learned how to be independent of thought and action in all of that time. Maybe even a little too much. Her failing love slash social life pretty much attested to this. Embarrassed by her train of thought, Sakura shook her head from side to side, pulling her long hair into a neat ponytail at the base of her skull before she stood abruptly. Shuffling her papers into an organised pile, the pinkette slipped her trademark red pen between straight pearly whites, hefting her stack of tests into one arm and her laptop bag into the other.

Leaving her with little room to compromise with shitty adolescent brats.

Shifting the majority of the weight onto the crook of her left arm, Sakura reached up and removed the Biro from between her teeth, wrapping her fingers around it even whilst maintaining her firm grip on her computer. She cast a tired, but bright, smile at her renegade sensei, who was surely going to cop an earful from her cranky and intolerant mentor Tsunade, the head of the executive council and notorious for her bad temper, for not being in his office working like the diligent man he clearly was not.

"Get back to procrastinating in your fancy office at least, sensei. You wouldn't want shishou breathing fire down your neck. You're already feeling the heat as is, I'm sure." Sakura exclaimed, that irritating adjective from earlier musings not doing her feelings of resignation justice. The examination period was always, without fail, an absolute _nightmare_ ; for both the students _and_ the teachers. It was hard to be firm but fair with the grading system, after all, and Sakura always strove to find a positive mark even amidst crap like Suigetsu's written component.

He had a firm grasp on colloquial language, at least, even if he was incredibly sordid in his details and lacked all comprehension regarding that magical function known as _punctuation and grammar_.

Rolling her eyes, thinking about how typical it was for this generation who spoke only in text talk and had no respect for the basic conventions of language learning (even in Japanese, of all the blasphemy) to not know or understand how a proper sentence should be constructed, Sakura took quick strides down the expansive hallway, thankful that her classroom was not far from the teacher's lounge. In under a minute she had made it to her sanctioned post, the wild jeering inside planting the seeds of anxiety in her gut as she pushed the door, left ajar, open with the sole of her right shoe.

There was a blissful moment of absolute silence where Sakura could almost hear a pin dropping onto the linoleum flooring; before the cacophony erupted once more, at a higher volume and frequency than previously. Biting back a foul expletive or three, Sakura straightened her posture into a dignified stretch of spine as she strode over to her desk with a confidence that she did not feel internally; green eyes fixed on her destination even as the catcalls started.

"Yo sensei! What's up with being late? Too busy fucking around to remember us?"

"Hey Haruno-sensei! Did that hot imaginary boyfriend of yours refuse to _take you downtown for hotdogs_ over the break? You look like shit!"

"Can we get a _special reward_ for _finishing you off_ last semester?"

Insert a few laughs and wolf whistles here, and her day went to abysmal in under three seconds of sharing the same oxygen as them. Oh what classy adults they were going to make. Clearing her throat, Sakura narrowed her gaze across the room. The desks were tiered in such a way that learning adopted a simulation of a university lecture hall, and thus there were many students that were literally looking down on her. This did not help her wounded ego, for she was just as short as she was when she was fourteen.

Even stilettos did not help in her mission to at least appear taller than she actually was. Her mood dampened significantly by their ridicule, Sakura projected her voice in a stern command that silenced them almost immediately. Clearly they could see she was not in the mood to be fucked with, as they shifted a little more in their seats. Good.

"That will be enough shit from you for today! My quota for bullshit expired last week, and frankly I am _not_ feeling generous today. Anyone who wants to flunk out in this class and lose points towards their graduation may continue to antagonise me; I _dare_ you." Lips firmly sealed and faces a little paler than usual ( _good job, girl!_ ), Sakura dumped her load unceremoniously on her desk, careful not to break her laptop in her foul mood as she scanned the room for an unwitting victim.

There, in the back, Uzumaki Karin, the obnoxious younger cousin of her blonde friend Naruto, was blatantly ignoring her presence, instead texting furiously on her cell phone—and in plain sight no less.

Inhaling deeply, Sakura's lips parted in question.

"Can you tell me what ' _retardateur_ ' means, Karin-san?"

Said redhead barely cast her a glance, merely continuing to type away at a rapid-fire pace as she mulled over her own teenage midlife crisis with little regard to her current surroundings. Biting her full bottom lip in aggravation, the pinkette slammed her hands down on the polished mahogany of her desk as she sent a vicious glare her way. She was _so_ not in the mood for teaching today. Jumping in surprise, the redhead tuned back in; her scarlet irises searching for the source of her disruption before they landed on the pinkette. Her lip curled in distaste.

"Don't make me repeat myself again, Karin-san. Can you tell me," Sakura ground out through clenched teeth, "what ' _retardateur'_ means, or is that beyond your expansive vocabulary?"

Karin looked struck dumb for a split second before she rolled her eyes in that irritating 'know it all' manner that drives every person in existence mad with murderous intent.

"Well _duh_ , it means "retard repellent", sensei. Get with the what, _sheesh_!" There was a pregnant pause in which Sakura could only look on in disbelief and curse their immaturity to hell and back, before the entire class erupted in a raucous bout of laughter that hailed Karin as the highlight of this unpleasant tutoring session.

It wasn't any wonder Sakura wanted to bash her head in. Surrounded by idiots and belittling her self-worth by indulging in their mockery day after day? This job sucked ass. At the end of her teaching tether for the morning (wow she was really intolerant of their idiocy today), Sakura reached up to rub her temples in frustration, her headache returning with a vengeance as she staved off the urge to scream aloud. Thankfully, there was a silver lining that had brought with it the promise of a rainbow amidst this unravelling disaster, and it came in the form of an intelligent life form.

" _Les r_ _etardateurs sont généralement d'un tissu ou d'une substance qui empéche ou inhibe quelque chose, en particulier les risques d'incindie_. That about covers it, I believe." Butterflies exploded in her tummy as Sakura's gaze snapped to the open doorway.

There, draped quite comfortably against the sturdy frame, all solid muscle and long limbs, was the beautiful and impressive Uchiha Sasuke, a curious expression lining the inhumanly (and insanely unfair might she add) gorgeous face that stared back at her with quirked lips. With a flawless execution of her second language, right down to the accent itself, the rosette found herself unsurprised and yet speechless all the same. He had always been the top of the class, but this was just ridiculous.

As if in response to her flabbergasted expression, Sasuke quirked a manicured eyebrow in her direction, ebony irises boring into her own as the ghost of a smirk touched his lips.

"A little tongue-tied are we, _sensei_?" A monstrous heat dropped into the pit of her stomach as it coloured her cheeks in turn, her mouth fighting a traitorous smile despite her once soiled temperament. She was officially on cloud nine. Clearing her throat once more, now clogged with raw emotion that was beginning to swell behind her eyelids, Sakura turned to face her students, pointing to both Karin and Suigetsu as they sat smirking at the flustered pinkette's frazzled countenance.

"Karin and Suigetsu will distribute your review quizzes as punishment for your smart-alecky immaturity! This was designed specifically targeting your weakest performance areas in last term's examination, and you are to use this period to complete it in silence! Move so that there is one seat between you and the person sitting next to you! And as for your behaviour today, not only will you be weighted on this as part of your final mark, but you are also not allowed to use a dictionary! Morino-sensei will be overseeing you all, to be sure you stay in line." Sakura added as an afterthought, stepping aside as The Executioner made his grand entrance into the hall.

If the kids had gone pale with Sakura's bad mood, then Morino Ibiki's famously ruthless teaching style had them positively comatose with dread. Oh was she glad that she had arranged this yesterday in the weekly staff meeting! She had wanted more time to finish marking their assessment items for their end of year reports, and so Ibiki had kindly offered his services to her while she completed her tasks.

Nodding tersely at the pinkette with a grim smile on his scarred face, Ibiki stood at the forefront of the room with an imposing stature that could make a trained assassin piss their pants in terror. The students scrambled to do as was asked of them, moving their possessions and hunkering down for a long two hours of French tenses revision and grammar exercises.

Smiling with apparent satisfaction, Sakura picked up her laptop bag, slinging it over her shoulder as she hightailed it towards Tall Dark and Handsome, her grin stretching unbidden across her face as he stepped out into the hall—a trail of hormonal gazes watching Sasuke's back with apparent disappointment etched into their expressions as Sakura closed the door behind her with a resounding ' _thud!_ '

The minute they were both out of sight and earshot, Sakura practically barrelled into his waiting embrace, an excited squeal leaving her lips as she squeezed the stuffing out of him. He laughed softly, his chin falling to its rest upon the crest of her head as his arms aligned themselves around her slim shoulders. He gave her a comforting rub down, his hands, large and calloused, leaving trails of raised hair all over her body as he created soothing circles against the middle of her back with his open palms.

"I didn't know you were coming back to Konoha today, Sasuke-kun! I would have come to pick you and Naruto up if I had!" The pinkette gushed with an ecstatic smile against the soft material of his black button-up polo shirt, inhaling his heady scent all the while as she pressed her cheek against his breastbone. Damn, he'd gotten ridiculously tall in the last few years. She didn't even begin to reach his shoulder. Sasuke's lips pulled into a soft smile as he looked down at her petite frame, a little stunned at how small she seemed to him now.

When they had been children, she had always been close to his height, mere centimetres shorter than him and as lithe as he had been. But it seemed that puberty had been both a blessing and a curse for them; Sakura maintained her short stature, much to her chagrin, but had grown into her figure beautifully. As for him? Well, he had always summoned the attentions of the fairer sex growing up; but as he had grown into adulthood, and into the dashing good looks of the Uchiha clan, he had become the centrefold for women's wildest fantasies.

As a teenager this fact had endlessly frustrated him. He had been the bearer of unwanted attention for as long as he could remember, and he found it all derivative and asinine. They didn't see past his outer appearance and his money, and he had thus sworn himself off of the opposite sex. Of course, his outlook had been shaped positively by the women in his life; his mother and Sakura had revived his faith in females that adored him for who he was over what he looked like, and for that they would always have a special place in his heart.

As an adult, he had indulged in the attentions of lusting ladies with a fervour that had startled him at first. He had never had any real interest in things like sex and romance until he had begun travelling around the world. Perhaps it was because his wanderlust had gotten the better of him? Or maybe it was because he wouldn't have to deal with serious commitment? Either way, he had grown out of his prejudice, and had come to appreciate the wonders of the feminine persuasion over the past five years.

Which was why he found himself a little startled at how much Sakura had changed since he had last seen her. She had often been teased for lacking all traces of a figure, and for having pink hair and a "larger than normal" forehead, when they were still in school. He had never personally understood her insecurities with her body. He had thought she was beautiful enough as she was, covered in mud from playing soccer in the rain and wrestling Naruto into the dirt until he'd hollered uncle.

The way she had laughed until she was holding her sides together with both hands. The way she would sob like an infant whenever anyone died in a horror movie, burying her face into his chest whenever the killer emerged from the shadows and clinging onto him like her life depended on it. The way she would shift from one foot to the other and brush the rebellious strands of pink from her forehead as she gazed up at him with a sweet smile on her face. The way that she embraced his flaws and did not fault him for them. Even the way her eyes looked, puffy and swollen from lack of sleep when he and Naruto snuck in through her bedroom window at three in the morning to play video games because they couldn't sleep.

She had so many redeeming qualities, so much to give, and yet she never asked for anything in return. She was selfless and kind, and that was what he loved most about her. Sakura was such a precious friend in his mind and heart that he wanted her to be happy, which was why he decided to pack up his tote bag and come home. He needed to see her face again after so much time apart. He had missed her, more than she could ever begin to comprehend. Naruto had too, of course, but this… this was different, somehow. Very different.

Sasuke gently pulled away, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders whilst hers remained firmly against his hips; her wide green eyes sparkled as she locked gazes with him, and he felt a definitive pull of heat coiling unbidden in his stomach. Had her eyes always been so hypnotic?

"We didn't want to cause any fuss, so we made our own way back. The dobe is currently harassing Kakashi, so I figured I would take advantage of the sudden quiet and come see you before the real headache begins." Sasuke murmured softly, humour lacing his baritone as he tucked her loose bang behind her ear; an affectionate gesture that had goosebumps scattering over the surface of her skin. Sakura felt like her face would snap apart with all of her smiling, but her happiness could not be contained or expressed in any other way that was socially acceptable.

"I'm so glad that you did. I was one step away from setting my students on fire and leaving them to burn." She laughed then, but it was clearly strained, and in that moment Sakura felt as tired as she looked. Sasuke's eyes narrowed in concern, his head tilting to the side slightly as he tipped her face up by the chin so that he could assess her condition a little better. Indelible smudges lined the contours beneath those dazzling irises of hers, and her complexion was a little on the gaunt side.

"Tch! When was the last time you had a proper night's sleep, Sakura? You look like shit."

"Very charming, Sasuke-kun. And here I was thinking that I looked primped and pretty after three nights of marking French exams." Sakura said with a wry smile, leaning into his touch as she closed her eyes and sighed softly. It was so nice to just exist in this moment that she never wanted it to end, but unfortunately her quest for quietude was futile; a blur of orange and black engulfed her from behind, a mop of blonde hair smacking her on the cheek as the life was squeezed out of her.

"SAKURA-CHAN! HOW ARE YOU? IT'S BEEN FOREVER!" The gravelly tone of Uzumaki Naruto reverberated down the hallway and into her eardrums, which had begun to ring in response to the proximity of his proclamation. Sakura felt her grin widen even further as she laughed with true mirth, her hands leaving Sasuke's hips only to grip Naruto's forearms.

"Haha, hi Naruto! It's good to see you too! Well, in theory anyway, since I can't actually see you right now." Naruto's exaggerated gasp of horror made Sasuke shake his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose even though a smile was pulling at the corners of his mouth as the blonde released Sakura from his death grip—only to spin her around mere seconds later.

His bright blue eyes had wizened up since high school, a boyish maturity taking over the baby fat that had once covered his cute face as he looked down at her from ungainly heights. He wasn't as tall as Sasuke, but he was damned close, and Sakura cursed their genetics to hell and back.

 _Goddamn these tall people!_

Naruto was taken aback by how different Sakura was; sure, she still had that pretty pink hair and those psychedelic green eyes that he had secretly adored as a kid, but her once round, tomboyish features had sharpened into womanhood; soft angles that were accentuated by a clear femininity that she had been lacking back in the day. But what was evident above all else was the exhaustion weighing down her usual exuberance, and it caused his smile to wilt a bit.

"Wow Sakura-chan, you look great for someone who looks like she's just emerged from World War Three! Super gorgeous, but super tired!" Sakura laughed at his excited jabbering, feeling more than seeing Sasuke step into stride alongside her as she continued to listen to Naruto's rapid commentary. His scent was refreshing, and made her nostrils tingle the closer their arms came to touching.

"Thanks, I guess? I haven't had a lot of time for myself lately, as you have deduced. So it's wonderful seeing you both after all this time! Will you be in town for long?" She looked between them as she posed a question of her own, her gaze lingering on Sasuke's aloof visage a little longer than necessary before she faced Naruto once more; that shoulder length hair and those smouldering eyes were going to be her undoing!

Naruto's knowing smile caused the butterflies in her tummy to combust, and a heated blush spread across her cheeks in a crimson stain that accentuated the small freckles hidden there. The result of too much sun exposure playing with them as children.

Sasuke, surprisingly, was the one to answer her.

"We'll be here for the long-run, actually. That is, if you'll have us." The rosette's eyes nearly popped out of her skull, and she openly gawked at the raven haired Uchiha. He smiled roguishly, the flicker of amusement lingering on his face even when Sakura had smacked him on the arm.

"No way! Are you serious? You're here for keeps?" A wave of nostalgia filled both Naruto and Sasuke at the girlish look of glee on the pink haired woman's face. It took them back to a time when the day did not end when darkness fell, and when money and success were obsolete in the wake of play. How things had changed. Naruto rolled on the balls of his feet, pleased with Sakura's blatant joy at their unannounced return home as he raised his arms behind his head; in his trademark pose that further cemented him in Sakura's reality.

Sasuke merely absorbed her buoyancy with a telling expression plastered to his handsome features.

"Of course I'll have you both, oh my god! Where are you staying? If you haven't got any concrete plans, then I insist that you park your manly selves on my couch for as long as you need!" Sakura quipped sagely, bubbling with happiness as she took a hold of both of their hands. This day, once absolutely shit, had turned into purest gold. Nothing could dampen her parade now.

"Actually Sakura-chan, teme and I are staying at his, uh, I guess you could call her his _girlfriend's_ place?" Okay, so that could tear her world apart apparently. Sasuke shifted uncomfortably, scowling as he glared daggers at his mouthy best friend. He talked too fucking much. He glanced to the side, hoping to catch Sakura's reaction.

She certainly looked stunned, but it only lasted a moment. Pulling herself together, the pinkette turned her brightest smile his way, praying to god that the cracks didn't shine through.

 _You are an adult woman now, and you are above such petty jealousy! He is one of your oldest and closest_ _ **friends**_ _! Don't fuck this up,_ _ **idiot**_ _!_

"Really? You finally boarded the dating train, Sasuke-kun? Good for you! You'll have to introduce me sometime when I'm not drowning in paperwork! _Ah_ , what about you Naruto? Anyone special in your life that I am not aware of?" Sakura turned her tirade onto the blonde, who unlike Sasuke, could see the strain behind her smiling countenance.

 _You're a terrible liar, Sakura-chan. Stop pretending to be okay._

"Er, not really Sakura-chan. Still unattached and happily devoted to my one true love."

Sakura snorted. She could smell it all over him.

" _Really_ , Naruto? Still making _ramen_ your number one priority? At this rate your blood has probably become miso broth!"

"Haha, laugh it up Sakura-chan! Take pleasure in my torment even when it's at my expense!" Naruto simpered in faux despair, hiding the bitter sadness he felt when he watched Sakura crumble in silence. All the while Sasuke observed the two of them, a frown forming on his brow as an unpleasant twist akin to envy turned his stomach into molten lead.

Naruto was hyperaware of the change in his best friend, a wry smile settling on his lips as he watched the raven haired man reaffirm his grip on Sakura's tiny hand.

 _You both suck at pretending so bad. Why can't you just be honest with yourselves for once?_

It was ironic, really. The greatest joke that the universe could have possibly played on them had nothing to do with potential diabetes by ramen, or the fact that Sasuke was finally a normal young man who had recognised his sexuality seven years too late.

It was the fact that the two people Naruto loved the most had it _bad_ for each other—had been that way for as long as the blonde could remember—and could not for the life of them admit to it for fear of ruining their friendship.

So while Sakura had the occasional fling and tried to suppress the thoughts of the only man she wanted from overtaking her rationality, Sasuke dated women as a substitute for what he really wanted— _and he didn't even fucking know it._

What a fucking killjoy.

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 **…TBC…**

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 ** _Ending Remarks:_** _Well this is a little bit heavy, but it will improve with time. I think? Let me know in a review, I guess. Also the shitty French was me delving back into my high school days, so excuse any errors/inconsistencies. It has been too long._

 _Until next time._

¬ **R** _i_ n


	2. Heartache

**Author's Note:** _I'm glad that there are people interested in this one. I'll do my best to live up to your expectations._

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Chapter **Two:** Heartache

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It had been an excruciatingly long day for Sakura, and as she rolled her shoulders to work out the kinks that had settled in them, she couldn't have felt more exhausted. After her brief reunion with her two boys, the pinkette had scurried off to finish her paperwork; apparently they wanted to take her out to dinner after work to celebrate their homecoming, and being the selfless individual that she was, Sakura had agreed to the proposal with a smile that she did not feel in her heart. Between perpetual fatigue and the latest girlfriend revelation, she was not in the most forthcoming of moods. But she loved them so dearly that she couldn't say no, and so she had been roped into a night out on the town, all in the name of reunion.

Never the less, Sakura was a grown woman. Irrespective of the envy she felt over Sasuke having clearly moved on without her ever realising it to begin with, she was unbelievably happy for him. After all, his happiness had always been her own, right from the very start, and so she would continue to grin and bear it even while her insides crumbled to dust. Yes, she was an adult now, and yes, she was above such petty feelings as jealousy; but she was a woman desperately in love with a man who could only ever view her as a close friend, and this was something that she was coming to realise with painful clarity.

The gap between them, it seemed, could not be bridged through words and sentiments alone, and the desolation that filled her made her lip visibly wobble.

Shirking off her negativity, lest it eat away at the last vestiges of her sanity, Sakura finished filing away her students' marked assessments, duty-bound to distribute them in their next session—which thankfully wasn't until Monday. Now that it was the last day of school for the week, Sakura was free to mope about her apartment all weekend, and bemoan her inability to distract herself with housework because of yet another poor decision made when inebriated. Scoffing derisively at herself, Sakura erected herself from her swivel chair, shaking off the tension in her muscles as she gathered her personal effects and stuffed them into her book-bag.

A book-bag that was promptly pried from her delicate fingers and removed from her lithe frame entirely.

Shock rattled through her system as she spun on her heel, intent on ripping her thief a new ass hole, before she was wrapped up in inky irises that were expressively amused with her agitation.

"Sasuke-kun! You should know better than to sneak up on me! I could have broken your nose!" Sakura exclaimed in horror, quickly lowering her raised arm as he stared down at her with quirked eyebrows.

"With your monstrous reputation back in the day, I wouldn't be surprised. Lady Luck must really have it bad for me; saved yet again from your fist of fury." Sasuke quipped sardonically, his laughter resonant in the small teacher's lounge even as Sakura's jaw dropped. Affronted by his rude—but accurate—commentary, the pinkette slapped him on the arm with due force, relishing in his pained flinch at the violent contact even as he chuckled at her petulant expression.

"You suck, Sasuke-kun." The pinkette mumbled huffily, cheeks flushed and lips darkened with embarrassment as she stomped out of the open doorway; Kakashi was leaning against the frame, looking highly entertained by it all. They really did know how to put on a good show. Scowling prettily in his direction, Sakura stopped for a mere moment, jabbing the silver haired man in the chest with a manicured finger as she gave him a pointed glare.

"Don't you have paperwork to be finishing, sensei? It isn't going to do itself, you know."

The elder male shifted in clear discomfort at the mention of any kind of labour, manual or otherwise, his trademark slouch returning to ease away his anxiety. It would get done, one way or the other. Eventually. Right now, this interaction was far more pressing, especially since it was Sasuke who was on the receiving end of her relentless ire. It was a legitimate way to pass his time, surely.

"Yeah, yeah, you nag like a certain old bag we both adore." Kakashi muttered in exasperation, dark eyes falling to a close as he smiled behind his mask. He couldn't help but love the crazy bat Tsunade. She reminded him of Sakura a lot of the time, with her mean temper and mothering mannerisms, and he felt like she was the perfect influence on the once timid pinkette. She needed to be tough to deal with someone as fickle and complicated as Uchiha Sasuke.

"Besides, I've done all the pressing stuff. The rest can wait till later. I wanted to see off my favourite former students before Naruto returns to ruin the moment." Kakashi continued with obvious mirth lining his deep baritone, Sasuke's chuckle summoning butterflies in Sakura's tummy even as she fought back giggles of her own. They both knew that the elder man had a soft spot for the hyperactive blonde, but he was hard-pressed to ever admit it aloud.

Rolling her green eyes, Sakura shook her head, officially done for the day. Her brightening disposition may or may not have had something to do with Sasuke stepping into place next to her, her bag slung over his opposite shoulder as he folded her small hand within his own. Giving it a gentle squeeze by way of apology, Sasuke tugged her along after him, throwing Kakashi a lazy cursory glance as he passed him by.

"Later, Kakashi." Was all the acknowledgement he received from the stoic raven haired Uchiha, but it was more than enough. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he inclined his own head in response.

"Later, you two." And with that, he spun on his heel, taking his time walking down the quiet hallway as he headed back to the imposing pile of paper awaiting his return in his all-too-often abandoned office.

"Where's Naruto anyway, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura questioned, perplexed by his absence and desiring an answer of more substance than a monosyllabic grunt. Thankfully, that was what she received.

"He's waiting out front. Said he wanted to make a phone call or some shit." Sasuke responded curtly, his tone clipped with irritation. Sakura's eyebrow rose, and she nudged his side with her elbow. He took a perfunctory glance her way, his scowl evident even as he trudged onwards.

"What did he do _now_?" The pink haired woman almost bit out with a groan, her exasperation returning full force as she took in Sasuke's unpleasant shift in demeanour. This was a lot like how he was at the height of pubescence, and it was unsettling to bear witness to. He hadn't always been fun to be around then, after all. Sasuke pulled to a sudden halt, right hand rubbing his temple furiously as he glared at the wall of lockers across from her. Obviously it wasn't good, whatever the blonde had done. Sasuke's lips parted to speak, and what left them summoned an unpleasant lurching sensation in her gut.

"That fucking moron took my phone and invited Saya to dinner. Thought it'd be best to get the introductions out of the way, since she's taking us home with her anyway." Sakura felt her breath draw short for a moment, but she recovered admirably, her expression belying the tightness beneath her breast as she prodded for more information in what she thought was an unassuming manner.

"So Saya is this famous girlfriend of yours, I take it? What's so bad about asking her out to dinner with us? It was bound to happen eventually. Don't worry so much about it, Sasuke-kun." Sakura stated simply, her chest continuing to constrict under the weight of this unhappy circumstance even when Sasuke turned his disbelieving eyes on her. He had known as children that Sakura had had a mild crush on him, and perhaps he thought that she still did (little did he know that his hypothesis was spot on.) But then it all seemed rather ridiculous, in retrospect. It had been years since then. She was a grown woman now. She had clearly left that phase high and dry ages ago.

Exhaling in relief at her straightforwardness, the tension in his sturdy frame melted away, and he found himself feeling less stressed and more… uncomfortable. He certainly had feelings for Saya, more so than he had ever had for any of his past flings, and he liked the way she made him feel whenever she was around. But there was this niggling sense of discomfort at the thought of her meeting Sakura and not loving her the way he did. He knew what women were like when their boyfriend's introduced them to their female friends; they were prone to jealousy and ridiculous spouts of paranoia as to the actual nature of their relationship behind the scenes, and he didn't want the wires to be crossed with him and Sakura.

Likewise, he didn't want the pinkette to suffer any mistreatment because of his significant other; she had copped enough shit to last her a life time, and he refused to stand idly by as she was hurt by someone he had introduced her to, someone he professed he cared for.

Sakura squeezing his hand pulled him away from his musings, his dark eyes searching hers for some sign that she was not okay with this situation; when he seemingly found none, he shook off his fearful pondering. There was no way that they wouldn't like each other. They were both beautiful, kind, selfless people, and both shared their accepting and loving natures. If anything, he needed to be worried about them liking each other _too_ much. That would really make spending time together awkward.

"Let's go, Sasuke-kun. Naruto's probably bouncing for some quality gossip by now." Sakura quipped with a grin, and she felt proud that she had suppressed her urge to cry at the unfairness of it all behind a foolproof smile. Sasuke may have been incredibly switched on in most instances, but when it came to the affairs of Sakura's heart, he was blissfully clueless, and she preferred it that way. It made hiding her feelings for him a lot easier.

"Hn." Sasuke hummed in acquiescence, lips pulling into a smile the more he gazed at her through his peripherals. Her expression was nostalgic as she yakked away, her words not really registering with him as he continued to watch her whilst she was unawares. She really was beautiful. He had always thought as much, but now that she had slipped out of her tomboy skin and pulled on her femininity, he was realising it even more profoundly. No longer was she lanky and hard around the edges; she had softened into maturity, deep curves accentuated by her shortness and adding a voluptuousness to her figure that he had never thought possible for her.

Sasuke snapped his eyes away from her, staring fixedly ahead of them as he fought back the rippling wave of shock that pulsated through his bloodstream. His thoughts were taking a bizarre turn in the wrong direction, and he hastily purged them from his mind; Sakura was one of his nearest and dearest people. There was no way he would taint that reputation with unwholesome notions such as the ones that were currently plaguing him with a vengeance.

She would always be beautiful to him. Now he just had to learn how to draw the line between platonic and outright lustful. Sasuke put it all down to not having had sex for a few months, and brushed it off as him pining for intimacy behind closed doors. That had to be it. He couldn't conceive anything else that explained his lapse in propriety. Sasuke shook his head, reinforcing his grip on her hand as they strode through the entryway to the school. Dusk was falling over the sweltering streets of Konohagakure, and Sakura could practically feel the sweat forming within her pores as the heatwave smacked into her face.

"Ugh, I already miss the airconditioning." Sakura complained loudly, raising her spare hand up to clutch her collar between lithe fingertips; fluttering the light chiffon material in an attempt to keep her body cool. Sasuke looked mildly uncomfortable, reciprocating her feelings regarding the weather as the summer heat scorched against his skin as well.

"This is definitely something I didn't miss about Konoha." Sasuke returned with an unpleasant twist to his lips, displeasure unwinding on his face as he quickened his strides. Naruto was sprawled underneath a tree by the footpath, gasping for air as sweat poured off of him in rivers. His eyes lit up at the sight of the two of them, hand in hand, walking towards him with mutually amused expressions on their faces; clearly they weren't the only ones suffering.

 _I seriously don't understand why they can't see it_ , Naruto thought with an internal sigh of bereavement, shaking his head in exasperation as he pulled himself up into a seated position. He was dripping with perspiration, and his skin itched with the need for a cold bath, but more than anything he was sad having to watch this walking tragedy unfold before his eyes. Sakura halted in front of the miserable blonde, smiling down at him as he gazed up at her fondly. Sasuke shifted in discomfort, annoyed at their need to bask in each other's presence when he was sweating his ass off.

"Get off your lazy ass and get moving, Naruto. We don't have all day." He snapped angrily, pulling Sakura closer to his side as they began the walk to the carpark. The pink haired woman's eyes widened with surprise, not expecting his forcefulness at all as Naruto grinned behind their turned backs.

 _Yeah, they've got it bad_.

"Hurry up Naruto! I have airconditioning in my car!" Sakura called out over her shoulder, jogging to keep up with Sasuke's rapid pace as they made their way to the pinkette's parked convertible. Her expression was that of unexpected bliss as she realised that Sasuke had remembered her excited rambling on the phone two years ago about her majestic Volkswagen CC. It was gunmetal grey, and the light of her life. She had spent a huge amount of her savings on it, and she had affectionately dubbed it Sara-chan. Sasuke had outright laughed at her on the other end of the line when she had told him that, telling her it was ridiculous to name an inanimate object, no matter how expensive it may have been.

Never the less, he had picked it out of all of the other cars in the lot, and he stopped astride it as he turned to wait for Naruto's straggling form in the near distance. Sakura dug through her bag, still strung over Sasuke's shoulder, her arm pressed against his chest as her fingers curled around what she was searching for. All the while Sasuke looked down at her, eyes warm as the jingling of keys rattled into his eardrums. The pinkette whipped her hand out of the bag, accidentally smacking the raven haired Uchiha with her elbow in the process; his pained grunt raised a heated blush on her pale cheeks, and she gasped in mortification.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry Sasuke-kun!" Sakura flapped her hands about, pressing anxious fingers to his chest as she inspected him for damage. He chuckled with a small smirk in her direction, ruffling her hair affectionately as she looked up at him with doe green eyes. His heart did that irritating fluttering thing again, and he cursed his lack of compunction to hell and back as Naruto finally caught up to them.

"Man you guys walk fast!" Naruto whined with a gasp, bent over as he tried to catch his breath. Sakura patted him consolingly on the shoulder, laughing as he looked up at her through drenched bangs.

"You could probably do with a shower and a change of clothes, huh? Let's swing by my place so you can both get cleaned up, okay?" Sakura exclaimed through her titters, unlocking her car as she took a hold of one of the heavy tote bags hanging from Naruto's shoulders. She opened her boot, shifting aside her miscellaneous boxes of paperwork as she shoved the bag into the remaining space; Sasuke hauled the remaining luggage into his own arms, placing it next to the other as Naruto righted himself gratefully. Sakura reached up to close the contraption, only to have her hand come into contact with Sasuke's; fighting back her desire to blush as he unwittingly wrapped his fingers over hers.

With that he brought the solid metal down with the push of a button, their arms falling down to their sides and remaining fleetingly close even as Naruto watched on with a sly grin.

 _Totally clueless idiots, I swear!_

Exhaling softly, Sakura made her way to the driver's seat, Naruto jumping to dibs riding up front before he was promptly shoved aside by Sasuke, who handed him Sakura's book-bag with a cutting smirk on his face. The blonde visibly quailed, intimidated by the possessiveness in that glaring expression as the raven haired man slid into the front alongside Sakura. Pouting, Naruto climbed into the rear, clipping on his seatbelt as he settled into the comfortable seats beneath him.

"Wow Sakura-chan, your car is awesome!" Naruto proffered loudly, awed by the leather interior and the amount of space the car had as he met her gaze through her rear-view mirror. She smiled sweetly at him as she strapped herself in, the engine roaring to life with little more than a purr as she reversed out of the carpark.

"Thanks, Naruto. Sara-chan is my pride and joy, so I'm glad you like her!" Sakura simpered with a grin, turning out of the school establishment and joining the steady flow of traffic on the highway.

"If the traffic isn't too bad, we should be back at my place in fifteen minutes, you two. Then we can all freshen up for dinner." Sakura stated conversationally, fiddling with the dials for the aircon with her peripheral vision as she focused on the road around them. Sasuke had reclined back into his seat, approval evident in the handsome lines of his face as he ran his left hand over the console in front of him. It seemed that his love for machinery had not changed in the last five years, and Sakura had to swallow her nervous butterflies as he turned that satisfied expression her way.

"Good call." Was all he said to her, but it spoke volumes, and Sakura bit her lip to hide her steadily mounting Cheshire cat grin.

"So whereabouts did you settle down, Sakura-chan?" Naruto added on to the amicable atmosphere, Sakura meeting his eyes briefly as she responded in kind.

"Well I managed to get an affordable apartment not far from where I used to live, which means that mama and papa call in to visit a lot more often than I'd like." Her exasperated tone was filled with warmth, the love she had for her parents all too clear as her two boys turned their humoured expressions on her.

"They say it's because they were in the area, but we all know they plan their visits for maximum torture." They all laughed at that. The Haruno's were notoriously nosy, and they loved making Sakura as uncomfortable as they could. It had been with practiced glee that they had welcomed the two boys into their home, busting out her most embarrassing photo albums for them to bond over whilst she frantically scrambled over trying to hide them. Sakura blew out a long breath, turning down a less busy street as she made her way home.

"Well Mebuki and Kizashi have always been busybodies, Sakura. There's no surprise there." Sasuke stated with a smile, shaking his head from side to side as he thought fondly of the two wonderful people who had brought their sunshine into the world. He glanced at her then, noting her tender expression as she turned into a fresh collection of apartment complexes.

"Mm. They haven't changed at all, huh? It's kind of nostalgic." Sakura whispered more to herself than to them, and both took note of the bittersweet lilt to her tone. Naruto understood it well, whilst Sasuke only grasped at the edges of her grief. Sakura slowed down, turning into a vacant parking space and shifting into park as she turned the engine over. Silence filled the car as she undid her seatbelt, stepping out of the console as the two men followed in her example. They grabbed their luggage, and sidled after Sakura, who slowed her pace to match theirs as she walked into the foyer of her building.

The receptionist raised her bored eyes from her magazine, sending the pinkette a kind smile before she returned to reading; all three catching the conspicuous secondary glance that she sent towards Sasuke. Go figure. He was a veritable chick magnet, after all. Rolling her eyes, Sakura stepped into one of the nearby elevators, Naruto and Sasuke stepping into stride on either side of her as she pressed the button that led to her floor.

Before long they were stepping into her tidy apartment, Sakura tossing her keys onto the nearby counter as she kicked off her shoes and began switching on the lights. The two men reciprocated, slipping out of their boots and sneakers before they began exploring the open space. Her living room merged with her kitchenette, a breakfast bar overlooking the expanse of space beautifully and matching with her quirky little furnishings surprisingly well. Sasuke took it all in with a neutral expression, whilst Naruto was far more vocal about how nice it was.

"I love what you've done with the place, Sakura-chan! It really suits you!" His enthusiasm was contagious, and Sakura laughed with renewed vigour.

"Thank you, Naruto. You're full of compliments today." She quipped sagely, her face glowing with pride at what she had achieved for herself over the past few years. She really had done well for herself.

"Yeah, well you've earned them! I mean, look at what you've made for yourself! This is great, Sakura-chan! Good job!" It was nice having her efforts recognised and validated, and she grinned up at him as she set her bag down on the coffee table at the heart of the room.

"Well thank you very much. Now come here and put your stuff down! I'll get you both a towel, so sort yourselves out while I go pick something to wear." Sakura ordered them around with a smile, watching with kind eyes as Naruto sunk down indulgently onto her couch. He may have been sweaty, but the fact that he was here meant that Sakura was happy to let it slide. For now. Stepping into the small hallway, Sakura slid open her laundry closet, pulling out two black towels from the top of the pile of freshly laundered linen, before she turned on her heel, walking straight into the ever-so-stealthy Uchiha Sasuke. Heart in her mouth, Sakura jumped in surprise as Sasuke pried one of the towels from her closed fists.

"Thank you." He voiced his gratitude quietly, smiling down at her as he asked her where the bathroom was.

"A-Ah, it's in my room. End of the hall." Sakura whispered breathily as he brushed past her, long strides disappearing with him down the hallway until he slipped into her bedroom. The door was left slightly ajar, and Sakura inhaled sharply at the insinuations that came with it. He was getting naked. In her bedroom. Without her. Cheeks hot with shame, Sakura shuffled into the living room once more, face buried in Naruto's towel as she plonked herself down alongside him. Noticing her flustered state, Naruto smiled wryly, eyebrows waggling suggestively at her as she peeked up at him with shamefaced apple orbs.

"Ugh, you dork! Cut that out!" She hissed angrily, shoving him playfully as she sunk further into her mortification. Naruto laughed loudly, blue eyes sparkling with hilarity as he tugged her towards him; wrapping a tender arm around her small frame, he pressed a kiss to her temple, noting her fond expression with a frothing sense of affection that only she could summon within him. It had become a thing of the past, but he had once been desperately in love with her, and had never been shy about acting on that love—especially when Sasuke was at his shittiest temperament.

He had loved the way Sasuke had coiled up with rigid tension, all hard lines and agitation whenever the bombastic blonde became too cosy with her. It was so fucking obvious that he was head over heels for her, even then, but he had been completely virginal to the concept of a lover's affection and thus incapable of seeing it for himself. Naruto had derived a great amount of pleasure from the Uchiha's evident wrath, and had continued to flirt relentlessly with her all in the name of sport.

He had never openly admitted to his feelings for her, but she had known, and had never shunned or pushed him away because of them. In fact, it had only made them closer. Naruto had eventually stepped down in the wake of her obvious love for Sasuke, and had been nothing but gracious about it. He still had lingering pangs that reminded him of what he could never have had, and that was especially pertinent as he folded the pinkette in his arm and rested his bronzed cheek against the top of her head.

"So you're still in love with that asshat, huh?" Naruto broke the silence with a pensive murmur, gravelly tone roughened with a seriousness that was not evident on his playful face as he gave her right shoulder a caring squeeze. Sakura stiffened in his arms, self-depreciation quickly filling her as she realised how foolishly transparent she must have been to him.

"Unfortunately there's no patch or switch that I can use to turn these feelings off. Kinda pathetic, right?" Sakura replied with a broken laugh, the sound hollow and empty as she snuggled into his frame, before she reeled from the smell of his body odour.

"Oh ew, Naruto! You stink!" She sputtered through disgusted laughter, squirming out of his grip as she stood up once again. Naruto grinned brightly at her from his seated position, watching her with mirth in his eyes as she noted with a sense of dread that Sasuke had conveniently forgotten to take his tote bag with him into the bathroom. She couldn't recall him taking anything in with him when he had taken his towel…

"Oh god." Sakura's eyes were wide as saucers as she realised that she would have to take it to him herself. She turned her pleading gaze to Naruto, but he merely reclined further back into the comfortable settee, more than happy to watch the pink haired woman suffer through such humiliation.

"Sorry Sakura-chan. I see him naked more often than I'd like, and it's an image that I will never be able to burn from my retinas, so it's your turn now." The blonde cackled with sadistic glee, cerulean irises psychedelic as they glittered in the lamplight. Sakura's mouth fell open in shock.

 _You have got to be fucking kidding me_.

Sure, she had seen Sasuke without a shirt on often enough as a young girl and teenager; but never any further than that. She was too afraid to even ponder on such a thing. Sending him a venomous glare, Sakura stomped down the hall once more, entering her bedroom with a heady swallow. Steam was pouring out from beneath the closed door, and Sakura exhaled shakily; thank god he had had the foresight to shut it behind him. She had been told all too often by Itachi, Sasuke's elder and beloved brother, that he had this terrible habit of leaving the door wide open when he had a shower; he had never been shy about being naked around his family, after all.

Shifting her weight with the heavy bag on her shoulder, Sakura braced herself, before she knocked tentatively. The heated spray of water continued to blast for another moment, before it ceased altogether, the sound of her shower curtain being pulled back raising the hairs on her arms as well as colour to her cheeks as she fidgeted by the wooden barricade. Sakura wasn't kept waiting very long. The lock on the door clicked open, followed by the door as Sasuke's dripping profile filled the gap left there.

She tried, really she did, not to look anywhere but his face—but it became increasingly difficult as little droplets of water trickled down his flushed face, sliding against the defined cut of his jaw and down his bared throat. The delicious pectorals and rippling muscles gave her chills, and she felt her entire body throb in response, even as she swallowed back her urge to melt into a puddle on the floor. Sasuke raised a manicured eyebrow in her direction, lips quirking into a smirk as he observed Sakura's increasing fluster with a profound sense of smug male pride.

"Yes, Sakura? You need me for something?" Sasuke prompted with an amused chuckle her way, her green eyes nearly bulging out of her skull as he leaned down to her level, giving her a very nice view of those toned biceps as they folded over his wet chest.

"Or perhaps you want to join me?" He muttered huskily, tone devastatingly low as he turned his smouldering gaze on her. Sasuke relished in the absolute ripple of embarrassment that trickled through her body, his grin all-consuming as he flashed his straight white teeth between teasing laughter. The pinkette bristled amidst her fluster; when he had said that, she swore she could detect a sliver of seriousness in that offer, and temptation reared its ugly head as she fought back the immediate urge to make true on his joking proposition.

What fuelled her white hot anger was the fact that she had wanted it so badly.

Puffing out her cheeks and pouting to disguise her desire to curl up and die on the spot, Sakura shoved his bag into his startled arms; he caught it with clumsy fingertips, grasping onto it as he raised his surprised eyes to meet with hers. He hadn't even realised he had forgotten to grab his clothes. That would have been an awkward scenario, him walking out in nothing but a towel hanging low on his hips in Sakura's home.

As comfortable as he was in his own skin, and as often as Naruto had complained over having to see him in such a state throughout their travels together, he didn't want to put Sakura in an uncomfortable situation. It may have been acceptable for him to walk around in the nude at home, but it was incredibly rude to meander about in someone else's homestead in such a state of undress. He respected Sakura far too much to subject her to his whimsy, and thus he looked genuinely embarrassed by his slip in etiquette. He reached out, brushing a stray strand of pink from her forehead before he gave her a kind smile.

"Thank you, Sakura." The sweet affection underlying his baritone caused a delightful twist in her gut to fluctuate like mad, and she returned his smile meekly.

 _It's all good, Sakura. Keep your shit together. You can deal._

"You're welcome, Sasuke-kun. Just… dress quickly, okay? Naruto stinks to high heaven, and I need him out of the front room so that I can bust out my aroma therapy candles." The pink haired Haruno's tone was wry as she said this, and Sasuke gave her a perfunctory nod even whilst he chortled to himself.

"Sure thing. Be out in a few." He gave her one last glance, the heated stare like liquid fire as sparks flew between them; the door closed behind him, and Sakura noted with a sickening lurch in her tummy that he did not lock the door behind him. As if a siren's song that mocked her yearning desire to slip in there to be with him always.

* * *

"—and then Sasuke fell into the pond, stark naked and drunker than Tsunade baa-chan on Christmas day!" Naruto guffawed loudly, a little tipsy as he knocked back another mouthful of beer with a malicious grin in said man's direction. Sasuke looked infuriated, cheeks rapidly darkening the more Sakura laughed at his… indiscretions. It had been a wonderful night, catching up on all of the years that had been missed between them as they ate at Yakiniku Q, a renowned restaurant that stockpiled quality meat at affordable prices.

They had a variety of raw vegetables mixed in with the steak cutlets on the personalised hotplate at their table, the intoxicating smell of home cooking filling their nostrils as they gossiped about everything and anything that could come to mind. Sasuke was cradling a bottle of saké in his palm, a headache unrelated to the alcohol pounding relentlessly behind his eyes as he rubbed the bridge of his nose in clear exasperation.

 _Why is this moron my best friend again?_

Sakura was gasping for air as she reached out to grab Naruto's arm for support, tears of mirth forming in her eyes as she wheezed out a sharp breath. A lot of the anecdotes that were being shared were Sasuke-centric, and they progressively became funnier the more she listened. Perhaps her glass of vodka was getting to her; she had never been great with hard liquor, after all. Never the less, she was thoroughly entertained by Naruto's vapid gift for storytelling, and she continued to nudge him for more details as Sasuke scowled at the two of them from across the table. It was a nice change of pace, seeing him so clearly affected by what was being said about him—little did she realise that it was because he was in _her_ presence that he was so annoyed in the first place.

She was the last person on earth who needed to be informed about his adolescent stupidity.

"There's no way this is the same Sasuke-kun who used to lock up his father's liquor cabinet to avoid his drunken teasing!" Sakura exclaimed loudly, voice exuberant as she was met with two seething onyx orbs and an unhappy grimace. Sasuke was anything but pleased with this situation, and both friends revelled in his discomfiture with unabashed elation.

"Yeah, well he totally let loose on the towns! I swear he crashed more parties than I did just to get his hands on some quality booze!" Naruto hooted, in absolute hysterics as he thought back to the days where Sasuke was completely unhinged and out of everyone's control. They had been enjoyable times at most, but he had always been worried that his sudden dependence on alcohol and women was because of the hole in his heart that had opened up in the wake of Sakura's extended absence. The fact that Sasuke had only had two cups of saké in the last hour and a half was incredible. He never usually paced himself, but it seemed that he was matching strides with Sakura, so that she didn't get too tipsy too quickly under his watchful eyes.

 _Of course that hasn't even fucking occurred to him_ , Naruto quipped sarcastically in his head, rolling his eyes as he finished off his pitcher of beer without really tasting it. Seems like it had gone flat while he had been preoccupied observing the shy glances and secret smiles the remaining oblivious idiots had been passing back and forth all evening.

 _How the fuck is this not obvious to them? I could make a banner spelling it out for them and string it up on a fucking blimp over their houses, and they'd_ _ **still**_ _not get the hint. And they're supposed to be the smart ones. Yeah right!_

Sakura was grinning from ear to ear, loving every second of the blonde's penchant for pondering the past, because it meant that she wasn't the only one. Yes, she didn't know this side of Sasuke; but that didn't stop her from remembering him fondly for who he had been to her, and both versions of the same man gave her butterflies whenever they stepped into the room. At the moment, she was reeling with déjà vu over the Sasuke of her adolescence, who was currently making evil eyes at Naruto's turned face. Sakura noted the quiver of displeasure that rippled over the plush flesh of the blonde man's lips, before they split into a strained smile as he waved someone over.

"Hey Saya-san! Over here!" Molten lead dropped into her gut, squashing the butterflies and replacing them with a heavy, weighted sensation as Sasuke turned his stunned features towards the woman making her way towards their table.

Sakura felt disgusted with herself as she stared at the beauty with a touch of awe; she was tall and leggy, sinewy and built to perfection. She had that famous tiny waist young girls everywhere made themselves sick over, a slight gap between her thighs, and gorgeous, wavy caramel tresses that fell down past her shoulders. Turquoise irises flecked with amber sparkled in the bright lighting, and naturally full lips gave her that intense supermodel vibe that had the pinkette curling into herself a little more as she caved into her own insecurities once again. Thankfully, she wasn't busty, otherwise Sakura would have dropped off the face of the planet.

Saya was literally the embodiment of everything that she had always yearned to be; the picture perfect partner for the most perfect man alive (well in her officiated opinion anyways.) Said woman had a jubilant smile on her face, her excitement reflected in her eyes as she met Sasuke's softened gaze with her own. How nice. Wrapped up in her own discomfort, Sakura barely registered Naruto's hand folding around hers; he linked their fingers together, running soothing circles against the back of her tiny hand as the raven haired Uchiha stood to greet his lover with open arms.

"Sasuke, it's wonderful to see you after so long!" Saya simpered sweetly, arms around his waist and resting against his shoulder blades as he bent down to press a kiss to her cheek. She looked completely besotted with him, and he clearly felt the same way, his broad smile stealing the breath from Sakura's lungs as he slid an arm around her shoulders like it was the easiest thing in the world for him to do publicly.

"Hm." Sasuke hummed softly in response, her playful slap on the arm distinctly reminiscent of Sakura's as she scolded him for being nonverbal with her after so long apart. Naruto saw the similarities between the two women immediately, appearances aside, which was why he had come to the conclusion that Sasuke was an ignorant fucker who needed a serious wakeup call one of these days before Sakura's heart crumbled to dust.

Perhaps being back in the same township as her would help with this.

The two slid into the booth opposite to Sakura and Naruto, and she steeled herself for this moment.

 _Be yourself, Sakura. You are perfectly charming, and you are a good person. Relatively. Don't fuck this up for Sasuke-kun. Do it_ _ **for**_ _him!_

Saya's pretty eyes met with Naruto's first, and she greeted him with a friendly wave before she set her sights on the pink haired woman pressed into his side. Surprise filled her to the brim. She hadn't expected such a gorgeous little thing to be _just friends_ with her boyfriend. She vocalised this with a genuine pleasantness that startled all of them into silence.

"My goodness, Sasuke! You never told me Haruno-san was so beautiful! It makes me wonder how you ever let her get away!" She reached over the table, hand extended as she introduced herself with a pretty grin on her even prettier face.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet the famous Sakura-san! My name is Saya, Namui Saya, and Sasuke has told me all about you!" She gushed in quick succession, taking Sakura's spare hand and giving it a gentle squeeze before they both pulled back when a burst of hot oil spattered against their skin over the hotplate. Sakura wanted to hate her, even a little bit, but she was so kind and legitimately nice that she couldn't bring herself to be so immature.

She was exactly the kind of person Sakura liked to associate with, after all, and so she reluctantly accepted the fact that she had made a wonderful first impression on her. Dammit. Liking Sasuke's girlfriend hadn't been on her list of priorities, but as they got to talking, she could not help but feel a kindred kind of magnetism between them that made her feel genuinely happy to be around her. She made her feel comfortable in a way very few had ever managed to emulate, and thus she gave up on trying to find faults where there clearly weren't any to be found. She was an amazing woman.

So much so that she was swallowed up with joy that her beloved Sasuke-kun had found someone so in tune with him—even if it would never be her.

And as she saw the three of them off in the carpark an hour later, Saya gave her an affectionate hug, all smiles as she told her how much she was looking forward to meeting again. Sakura bore it all with a wide grin of her own, barely keeping the cracks from shining through as Naruto looked back at her over his shoulder; his eyes burdened with grief as he climbed into the backseat of the brunette's car. Sasuke had paused to give her a lingering embrace, bidding her a pleasant night as he disappeared over the skyline with the others in tow.

"Goodnight Naruto… Sasuke-kun." Sakura murmured softly; confliction colouring her thoughts an ugly shade of black as she drowned her sorrows in a bottle in her too silent apartment that echoed with the sound of her heart breaking.

 _Forever out of my reach, as always. Just my fucking luck._

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 **…TBC…**

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 **Ending Remarks:** _Drama, drama, drama. Kinda suck at this genre, but whatever. If the shoe fits…_

 _Let me know what you thought guys!_

 _Until next time!_

-x- **R** _i_ n-x-


	3. Shit Happens

**Author's Note:** _Thank you for all of the lovely reviews. I really appreciate all of the feedback. Enjoy this next instalment as payment for your time!_

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Chapter **Three** : _Shit Happens_

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Sakura awoke with a pounding headache, her mouth uncomfortably dry as she parted her chapped lips to return some moisture to the arid desert that had become her not-so-moist cavern. There was a sharp banging on her front door, and she realised with a pained moan that her achy brain was throbbing in sync with the repetitive raps even as she clambered from her uncomfortable makeshift mattress—in other words her couch—and stumbled down the short hallway to answer her insistently rude midnight intruder.

Wrapped up in a blanket of darkness and the strong stench of vodka, Sakura teetered on uncooperative legs, which shook under the oppressive weight of her drunken stupor as she fumbled with the deadlock for a moment. When she failed to turn it over, she cursed loudly, her words slurring precariously into incomprehensibility as she slammed her fist into the wall next to her head. A voice filled with concern, heavily muffled by the wooden barricade, filtered into her ears, but in her current state—where her whole body hummed unpleasantly with an impending hangover—she was incapable of placing its familiar tenor.

And so she continued to swear like a sailor under her breath, her volume rising and falling with the unpredictable surge of emotions that erupted in her tummy the more she thought about the events of the previous evening. All the while she had to hold her wrist to keep her uncontrollable shakes at bay; she was off her fucking face, and having slept for a short time, the effects of her hard liquor binging had begun to overtake all rational control of her once impeccably imperceptible façade of nonchalance.

She was a literal train wreck, her mascara staining her cheeks in an ugly bruise reminiscent of a racoon's eyes and her lip gloss smeared down her chin from one too many mouthfuls directly out of the bottle. Her clothing was dishevelled, crinkled with sleep and stained with sloshes of clear Russian alcohol that stunk to high heaven. She was something straight out of a horror movie, and to top it off her once pristine up-do was now a bird's nest that was quickly falling apart atop her dainty head. But she didn't care for her appearance. Not now.

She was too involved in self-piteous depression that her visual aesthetic was the last thing that concerned her.

She had never been a vain princess like Ino, after all.

Sakura let out a victorious cheer as she finally managed to manoeuvre her lock into its stationary state, the click of it turning over bringing a ridiculously oversized grin to her face. She felt triumphant; and even though her head was splitting apart from the force of gravity weighing down on her once more, and the undeniable fact was that she looked like shit, she couldn't help but lose herself briefly in the one thing she had gotten right in the last five and a half hours.

In retrospect one might consider having themselves checked into a sanatorium for being so pleased about something so mundane it was absolutely asinine, but not Sakura.

She was clinging to the final vestiges of sanity that she had left amidst her drunken haze, and it was of great comfort to her. It meant that she hadn't completely lost sight of who she really was when she wasn't piss-ass drunk and stuck in that bitching phase between peppy and hungover.

Without the pompous tension that one ponders over when they are about to open their door in the middle of the night—which was clearly in place for a reason, but unfortunately for her she was lacking her usual fight or flight compunction—Sakura whipped open the door, nearly falling onto her backside as she stumbled back with the force of her door opening.

Thankfully a solid pair of hands caught her by her forearms before she took that embarrassing tumble, and Sakura raised a fuzzy smile in the direction of her saviour. A mop of messy blonde and wide blue irises stared back at her, and Sakura idly wondered if Naruto had always been so blurry around the edges—or was that just the alcohol talking?

"N-Na…ru—hic—to! Wha' brungs yew—hic—to m…y h-humble aboat?" Sakura greeted cheerily, her speech slipping further into the gutter the more she tried in vain to enunciate properly. Her mouth felt funny, like it was numb around her lips, and her tongue was weighty lead against the back of her teeth, and to her great frustration her usual words were lost in drunken translation.

Never the less Naruto had grasped the gist of it, his worried expression betraying the undertones of amusement that was quickly creeping up on him even as he stepped inside. Closing the door behind him and locking it once more, the blonde shifted his weight, the heavy-duty duffel bag slipping down his shoulder as he attempted to readjust his posture to one that could also maintain Sakura's unsteady frame. She sunk into his side, arms wrapped languidly around his hips as he helped her over to the couch and forced her to sit down with a snort of displeasure.

She reeked of vodka, the hardest kind of drink even for a veteran alcoholic to wash down over the course of one night, and he felt his stomach lurch at the sight of her tear-stained cheeks.

She had spent her night crying over that stupid fucking asshat, whilst he had been oblivious to it all. Naruto had had to put up with the loud moaning and groaning in the room next to his at Saya's house, and couldn't stand it any longer; they were loved up fucking idiots, and Naruto hated their guts more than anything in that bitter moment as he really took in Sakura's shattering appearance with teary eyes.

She was a mess; emotionally and literally, and Naruto felt that platonic desire to soothe her aching heart as best he could bubbling to the surface.

Dropping his bag on the floor by the comfortable settee, the blonde helped the pinkette to settle against the cushions, prying away her needy fingertips as they tugged insistently on the hem of his shirt as he stood from his position alongside her. Eyes rapidly adjusting to the darkness of her living room, Naruto shuffled towards the nearest lamp, flicking on the switch and watching impartially as Sakura hissed and buried her face in the cushions beneath her head.

That done, he strolled into her kitchenette, flicking on the kettle as he made them both a steaming cup of black coffee—he refused to give her sugar as punishment for her stupidity, and for not calling him sooner so that he could have prevented her moping misery with his usual jubilance. He knew that this was eating away at her heart like corrosive acid, watching Sasuke fall into step with another woman, but he hadn't expected her to take it so far in such a short amount of time. One of the tendencies Sakura had had in high school was to bottle up her emotions until they exploded all at once at her greatest moment of duress, and although that was clearly unhealthy, at least Naruto had the warning signs of her impending breakdown.

He hadn't had a clue about just how badly this was affecting her; but now he did, and it was killing him.

He scavenged through her pantry, large hands folding around a box of Panadol as he returned to pour the hot water into the porcelain mugs Sakura had left out on the polished benchtop, the blackened depths of their coffee lost amidst an ebony finish as he carried all three items out to her prone form. The box of pain killers was tucked precariously beneath his left arm, and he felt it fall to the floor as he bent over the place the hot cups onto her centrepiece table. Scowling and swearing profusely at his slipup, Naruto scooped up the unopened package with disdain; she was going to need at least four of these fuckers to bring her back to him.

Ignoring the fact that it could potentially lead to an overdose, he pushed out four round white pills from between soft tinfoil, and they fell into his waiting palm without a sound of protest aside from the crackling of their casing coming undone.

He nudged Sakura with his foot, and she stirred; her soft snores ceasing as she peeked up at him from beneath a bright green pillow. So she had dozed off for a minute.

Go figures.

Naruto had a tendency to fall into restless slumbers when he was tipsy too; although in her case, she was completely smashed, and her disgruntled countenance clearly reflected this.

Without a word, Naruto handed her the pills and the coffee as she sat to receive them, her slurred murmur of gratitude not going amiss as he went into the kitchen to find something to clean her face with. When it proved an unsuccessful venture, he sidled down the hall into her bedroom, emerging moments later with a wet washer, some makeup remover and a box of tissues. Lips pressed into a taut line, Naruto began the tedious task of cleaning up the fidgety drunkard, who kept making googly eyes at him and trying to strip when she found herself too hot for clothing. The blonde had to fight back a pointed blush as heat stirred unwittingly in his groin. That was not good.

Thankfully, after a few mouthfuls of the richly bitter caffeinated beverage, coupled with the almost immediate effects of her pain killers kicking in, Sakura became coherent enough to hold a stilted, yet informative, conversation with him.

"I—aiiie—'m s-so harpy yew came, Na—ah—ruto! I woz so low… low… onely without yew—hic!"

"I can see that. It's smudged down your cheeks as we speak." Naruto responded furtively, a saddened glint in his cerulean orbs as he gazed into her hazy eyes with regret pooling in his gut.

Normally it would be him drunker than life itself at Sakura's doorstep seeking out comfort—referring to the underage parties he had attended with Sasuke and a few of their other friends back in their school days. She had fussed over him like a mother hen, making sure he was functional by morning even as she chewed him out for being an irresponsible moron.

So it was like something out of an alternative universe being the one caring for her after a long night of overindulging.

Sakura giggled like his words were the funniest thing in the world; they sounded so strange, making no coherent sense in her mind even when she could clearly understand them on a superficial level. She was in no state to deal with the inferences in his tone, or the unhappy twist to his lips as she downed her coffee and leaned into him with a loud yawn of exhaustion.

"I wan'ed S-Sasu-cakes to s-stay with meeeee for'ver, y'know? I love himmm so, so march, an' I wan'er be harpy for him, but it's bray… brake? My heart hurtssss, Na—ah—ruto! Why carnie lurfme…?" Sakura continued on admirably, her words a jumbled puddle of incoherency even when her meaning was all too clear.

Naruto swallowed, voice thick with suppressed emotion as he observed her drooping eyelids with a conflicted visage.

"I know, Sakura-chan. Teme's a fucking clueless asshole, but I _know_ he cares about you. More than even _he's_ aware of. This thing with Saya is a fucking _sham_ , and although it may _seem_ real to them, _I_ know better. She's a carbon copy of you, only you're the superior model, and Sasuke just hasn't realised it yet. Don't worry, he'll come 'round—"

Naruto's words staggered to an abrupt halt as he noted that the pink haired angel had already drifted off, and he rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Eventually. The two of you had better get your shit together in the meantime. I have no intention of meddling unless you can't man up and face the music." Naruto finished with a cynical smile, before he lay her down across his lap and continued to wipe away the evidence of her grief with tender hands that yearned to push his two best friends together once and for all.

* * *

When Sakura spiralled into consciousness once more, she was snugly tucked away in her bed, her lacy nighty replacing the stained attire she had been wearing the previous day. She noted with some horror that either she had mastered the drunken night-crawl, or someone else had stripped her bare. Leaning towards the latter, because she _knew_ what she was like when she was inebriated, the pinkette peeked down the front of her evening ware, letting out a sigh of relief when she noted that her underwear remained intact.

At least whoever had managed to change her had had the decency to leave well enough alone. Her head pulsed with the aftermath of a killer migraine, and she could taste the remnants of coffee on her tongue as her eyes sought out the time on the adjacent wall.

The clock read 10:47a.m. Well at least she had gotten a decent sleep in, even if it had been a rocky slumber at best.

Throwing off her duvet covers, Sakura stumbled out of bed, stepping in front of her mirror to assess the overall damages of her night of stupidity, only to be left pleasantly surprised. All of her makeup had been washed off, leaving her naturally smooth skin staring back at her; although the bags under her eyes and the questionable crest of hair that looked like a bomb had gone off in it needed to be dealt with pronto. Embarrassment trickled into the forefront of her musings as Sakura turned away from her reflection, making her way into her bathroom with a sense of dread pooling on her gut. This was one clean-up she was not looking forward to conducting.

Naruto, who had been snoring his life away on her couch, woke with a start at the sound of Sakura's pained cursing, his lips pulling into a cheery grin when he realised that his Sakura-chan was back. About twenty minutes later, she emerged, with a towel wrapped around her head and her makeup bag in hand; fully dressed and ready to murder her uninvited guest. So when she stepped into the living room, she was startled to note that there was a tarpaulin duffel bag on the floor, and a neatly folded pile of blankets on her couch. Her heart fluttered in her chest.

 _Sasuke-kun...?_

Biting her lip, eyes betraying her night of overindulgence in how puffy and indolent they were, Sakura stepped into the kitchen, where the sound of her kettle boiling and bacon crackling distinctively on the frying pan were originating from. Her tummy rumbled in response. She had eaten very little the night before after Saya's grand appearance, and that had been over fourteen hours ago. She was famished, even with her resounding headache.

The sight that met Sakura's eyes was both beautiful and a little bizarre; Naruto was slouched over the stove, cooking up a storm, plates of pancakes, waffles, sausage and scrambled eggs and now bacon lining the tabletop of her dining table.

And what was most surprising was the fact that they weren't burnt, and looked completely edible. The smell wafted into her nostrils, and her mouth began to water, even though a niggling sense of disappointment pervaded into her heart. Of course Sasuke wouldn't be here. He had his girlfriend to entertain him, after all. What could he possibly need her for?

Swallowing the raw emotions that were quickly rising to the surface and fighting off the compulsive twitch her hand does whenever she feels the need to drink arise, Sakura cleared her throat, a sweet smile on her lips as Naruto spun around in surprise, spatula in hand and eyes wide before a huge grin split his lips wide open. He was all teeth, and that dazzling display of jubilance wiped away her cloying negativity as she returned his gesture with as much gusto as she could give considering her light hangover.

"Morning Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, rapidly apologizing for his volume as Sakura visibly flinched away from his loud holler.

"Ah, sorry, sorry! I kinda forgot you have a hangover! How is it, anyway? I left you some pain killers on the bench, so pop out a few and drink lots of water! You need to keep hydrated! I have coffee and orange juice for your convenience, so get some caffeine and sugar in you before you keel over on me!" Naruto babbled inanely, shooing her lingering figure from the room with his greasy spatula as he turned back to flip the last of the bacon over.

Sakura acquiesced easily, completely subservient to his whims because _he had made her breakfast_. _Naruto_. **_Cooking_**.

How domestic was that, coming from the boy who could only ever manage pouring the kettle water into two-minute ramen cups in high school?

She marvelled at how much he had changed over the last five years, shaking her head in disbelief. It was all for the better, considering, but she felt sad that she couldn't save him from three months of ramen-only meals anymore. Because his parents were always away on business trips, he rarely saw them, and had often stayed with the Uchiha family or with her family when he was considered too young and irresponsible to look after himself properly. But that didn't stop him from trying. So when she looked at him now, cooking competently in a kitchen by himself, without having set anything on fire, was a miracle in and of itself, and she nearly laughed at the absurdity of it all.

How times had changed.

Sighing tiredly, Sakura picked up her Panadol, settling for the prescribed two tablets because her head didn't hurt as much as it probably would have last night, inhaling a tall glass of water from the cooler in the corner of the room like a parched man in a desert. Satisfaction rippled through her, and she had another glass just to slake her thirst, before she sidled back into the kitchen. Naruto was washing up the dirty utensils, expression focused on his task to the extent that when she walked in and sat down in the seat closest to him, he did not even notice her.

"Hey, Naruto." Sakura called out to him, alerting his attention instantaneously, as his once pensive visage morphed into a smile once more. Setting down the frying pan in the sudsy water, he dried off his hands on the dish towel, before he came and sat across from her, elbows on the table as he made a show of leaning forward conspiratorially; a foxy grin on his lips as he waited for her to continue. She cleared her throat again, suddenly awkward. Wow. This was a first.

"Uh, I was wondering… What you're doing here? I mean, I thought you were staying at Namui-san's…?" His once amused expression fell flat, and he averted his gaze for a second, thinking of the best way to break it to her. He found the words he needed when he looked into her dull green eyes.

"Well, although she's super nice and all, she's not you Sakura-chan. What can I say? I missed you so much while I was away, so I felt like I couldn't stay over anyone's place but yours. Is that… okay?" Sakura nodded her head animatedly, a coil of warmth unfurling in her heart as she realised with a start that he still needed her; even if Sasuke didn't.

"Of course it is Naruto! I said it before! You are more than welcome to bunk here for as long as you need to! As long as you don't mind the couch, that is." Naruto's famous smile, the one that reduced women to nothing but gelatinous masses of flustered goo, lit up the planes of his face, and pleasure rippled through Sakura's body in response. She was so unbelievably happy that at least one of her two boys wanted to rely on her, and so she grinned back until her cheeks began to hurt.

"Okay, enough of this grinning like idiots thing we've got going on! Let's eat!" Sakura exclaimed with fervour, her eyes alight with the sheer amount of choice she had. Naruto nodded quickly, relishing in her obvious excitement as he stood and brought two piping hot mugs of coffee to the table. Handing her one of the cups with careful hands, the blonde made himself comfortable once more, taking a languid sip from the mug as Sakura picked up her cutlery and began sorting out two plates of food; one savoury, one sweet. She caught his bemused gaze, and she stuck her tongue out at him childishly.

"I don't know what you're eating, but these are mine, you hear?"

Naruto grinned behind his large cup of joe, laughing wholeheartedly as he coaxed her to eat as much as she liked. This was a celebratory spread for his homecoming, after all.

"Yeah, yeah, you big pig. You need to fatten yourself up a bit anyway. No one'll wanna eat you up looking like that—" He was cut off but Sakura's indignant banshee scream, hollering "PERVERT!" as only she could whilst she slapped him over the tabletop.

Still chortling with a humoured, good-natured grin in her direction, Naruto continued to sip on his coffee, watching her fawn over his food like it was a gift from God.

"Oh my lordy…! Naruto, where did you learn how to cook this well?" Sakura stated with wide eyes, her tastebuds singing with glee as she continued to inhale his cooking like she was a vacuum cleaner. Placing his cup down on the table, Naruto picked up a knife and fork, digging into a sausage and some fluffy scrambled eggs as he pondered her question with a tender smile on his lips.

"Sasuke taught me, actually. While we were out and about the world." This caught Sakura's attention, as she paused in chewing her mouthful of food and looked at him with wide eyes. _Their_ Sasuke, _her_ Sasuke-kun, had taught the bombastic blonde idiot how to cook? Really?

"Really?" Sakura voiced her thought aloud, through a mouth full of food, and Naruto grinned at her brightly once more. That sad, tentative expression long gone, and leaving Sakura desolate inside. Naruto should never look so passively unhappy, not even for a second.

"Sasuke-kun did? I would swear that he would never have had the patience for that…"

"Yeah, well, he got sick of me whining for better food and having to cook for me, I guess." Naruto simpered cheekily, face as mischievous as they came as he stared her down with waggling eyebrows.

"If you think _my_ food is good, then Sasuke's is positively _orgasmic_ —"

"Oh my god, Naruto, you disgusting little troll! Quit while you're ahead!" Sakura hissed vehemently, her cheeks rosy in colouration and darkening at the sensual glint in the blonde's gaze. It was clear to her then that he hadn't been talking about food alone, and her face lit up like a Christmas tree. Him and his stupid innuendos!

 _Really mature, Naruto! Not! Ugh, what have I signed up for?_ Sakura mused with an exasperated internal face-palm, rolling her eyes heavenward as he continued down the wrong path just for his own entertainment.

 _After all, you look better with an indignant smile on your face than with tears in your eyes, Sakura-chan. So don't waste your love over an idiot like Sasuke, because he doesn't deserve it. He doesn't deserve_ _ **you**_ _…_

* * *

"Yeah, I know—oh come _on_ , teme! I wasn't about to sit around listening to the two of you _fucking each other's brains out_ —oh _ew_ , shut your manwhore mouth, you disgusting piece of shit! I don't need to hear this, again— _fuck you_ man—I'm moving in with Sakura-chan, not like it's any of your business—Just go back to screwing your Barbie doll, I'm working on asking Sakura-chan go out on a date with me—pshaw, yeah right, as if you could even stop me. Later, fucker." Naruto hung up on Sasuke, scowling in plain irritation as Sakura observed him from her place on her couch.

Try as he might have to manage his volume so that she wouldn't hear him, Sasuke had this knack of making his blood pressure soar through the rafters, and he couldn't help but escalate in both volume and anger whenever the older man baited him. And so obviously now Sakura had a pretty clear mental image of _why_ Naruto had crawled out through Saya's spare bedroom's window and bused it to her place instead.

It was not pleasant, and summoned a sickening heaving sensation in her stomach. She commended Naruto's willpower, because even being in the same house as the two of them would have killed her reasonably quickly, and as if to mock her, her heart constricted painfully beneath her breast.

Naruto turned to face her, expression sheepish as he took in her mortified silence with a large dose of guilt trickling into his gut. Great, she had heard him.

Well, this was… Fuck.

"Sorry about that, Sakura-chan. You know how that bastard likes to get under my skin. He was shitty with me 'cause I left without leaving a note, but who gives a fuck about him? Let's go out, Sakura-chan! So much has changed around here in the time that I've been away, and I want to experience it all with you!"

Hair and makeup done after breakfast, Sakura was ready to leave, but the biggest part of her wanted nothing more than to mope around in her apartment all day. Knowing Naruto, he wasn't about to let that happen, and for once she was grateful for his meddlesome nature. At least while he was here, she couldn't stoop in her self-imposed depression.

"Yeah, hold on a sec. I just need to grab a few things." Sakura replied with forced enthusiasm, and Naruto twitched in response. He hated it when she pretended that everything was okay. Nothing was okay about this situation, relatively or otherwise. She was hurting in a way he couldn't even begin to fathom, and he felt helpless; because he couldn't do anything about it.

Sakura returned to his side, bag and car keys in her hands as she slipped into her most comfortable pair of walking shoes and led them down to her parked car. The sunlight was harsh on her tired eyes, and she dug through her handbag until she found her sunglasses; pulling them on to shield her from the overly crisp daylight, Sakura unlocked her car and made herself at home in the driver's seat, Naruto finally riding shotgun as she started up the engine and took them into the heart of Konohagakure's city centre.

It was swelteringly hot once again, and the pinkette huffed as she blasted her airconditioner in an attempt to keep them fresh and alert. Naruto was clearly very happy about this, as he wiped a growing bead of sweat from his forehead away with the back of his hand as he reclined in his seat.

"So I was thinking we could do some grocery shopping, since I'll be accommodating for two now. But before that, do you want to grab something to drink? I know this great little café. It's near Ino-Pig's parent's flower shop, and they make fantastic cakes!" Sakura stated conversationally, Naruto agreeing fervently to her idea as she turned down the appropriate streets. The blonde asked a lot of questions about the new shopping complexes, as he had been there when the construction had started, but he had not been present for the grand opening, and the pinkette responded with an enthusiastic smile his way.

"Well it has everything from high-end fashion boutiques to some of the most distinguished restaurants in the world! And quite a lot of it is affordable for the working class as well, which means that there is a constant turnaround for the businesses stationed there! I think you'd like it, Naruto. They expanded on Ichiraku's stand, and now they have a chain of fast-food outlets in the food court."

His eyes lit up brighter than anything she had ever seen before, and Naruto practically insisted that they check it out before they went shopping for groceries. She had laughed at his blatant and outright addiction to Teuchi's famous ramen, caving in to his beseeching eyes almost immediately as she found a park after thirty minutes of driving through an intense wave of traffic.

"Alright, alright, we'll go after we've had some afternoon tea here, and after I've greeted Inoichi and Nanami. Not a second sooner." Sakura quipped sternly, adding on a few rude comments about how he would die spewing up ramen from his pores as they exited her vehicle and made their way towards the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

The jingling of the bells caught the attention of Ino's mother, Nanami, immediately, and she looked up to greet her customer—only to grin when she saw Sakura step inside with a tall, blonde and very handsome young man who looked eerily familiar…

"Sakura-chan, my dear! How have you been? I haven't seen you in ages! How has work been?" Nanami exclaimed loudly, her excitement all too evident as she ran over and wrapped the pink haired woman up in her welcoming embrace. Sakura had always thought of her as a secondary mother, the one woman aside from her own flesh and blood that she could come to in a crisis without fear of reprisal as the shorter woman stepped back to look her in the eye.

"My goodness, you've just become more beautiful since I saw you last! You must be batting off men with a stick now, ne?" She continued without a pause, her gaze shifting from the woman in front of her to the grinning man behind her.

"And who might this be? Did you finally give up on Sasuke-san and get yourself a boyfriend, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura sputtered loudly, cheeks pink as Naruto blushed in turn; he raised his hand to scratch his blonde mop of hair, a shy smile on his face as he denied her claim with an adamant shake of his head.

"Nah, I'm just a good friend. Uzumaki Naruto's the name. I don't think we ever formally met, ma'am, but I went to school with Sakura-chan and your daughter."

 _The denizen of the deep_ , Naruto tacked on in his mind, fighting back his intense urge to laugh and shudder all at once as Nanami gave him a pointed once over.

She smiled brightly at him, the wrinkles around her eyes giving them a gentle warmth that would not be present otherwise as she nodded her head in apparent remembrance.

"Ah yes, you were the young boy that Ino used to complain about back in high school! Something about you being loud, obnoxious and boisterously competitive with Sasuke-san." Both parties sweat-dropped at her blunt statement, Naruto quailing into himself as he realised that perhaps he wasn't so well-appreciated by all of his former school mates.

"Uh, yeah, I guess that's me in a nutshell…?" Naruto proffered with a strained smile, one which she returned unflinchingly as they conversed for a while longer.

"Unfortunately Inoichi-kun is away on a business trip with Shikaku and Chōza, so you won't get to catch up with him for at least a week. Do swing by when he's home though! He keeps on asking after you! But Ino-chan is in the café next door catching up with a few friends, if you're looking for her!"

"Yes, I was actually. It was lovely seeing you again, Nanami. I'll be sure to pop by again when Inoichi is home! I've missed talking to both of you!" Sakura stated as a means of saying goodbye, pressing a kiss to the older woman's cheek as she turned away with one last, short wave. Naruto stepped into stride alongside her, throwing the Yamanaka matriarch a kind smile as he said his piece as well.

"It was nice meeting you, Yamanaka-san! Hopefully I'll see you around again!" And then they were gone, the dark haired woman swooning a little over the chivalry of youth as she made herself busy once more.

* * *

"I wonder who Piggy-chama is catching up with?" Sakura intoned softly, Naruto laughing at her pet name for Ino even as they stepped into the café and made their way over to the counter to order.

"I'll have one large caramel latte and a slice of your Boston mudcake, and Naruto will have…?" Sakura gestured at the blonde, whose eyes were scanning over the extensive list of beverages with bulging eyes. Well they certainly had plenty in the way of variety; that was for damned sure.

"I'll have a large hot chocolate and a piece of apple crumble, if that's okay Sakura-chan?" Naruto turned his inquisitive gaze her way, clearly reluctant to let her treat him even when she had all but shoved his wallet down her bra so that he couldn't access his money. She nodded, pleased that he was getting what he wanted rather than weighing the price-tag against his pride as she placed their order with practiced precision. Paying for the two of them, she took their table number, intent on finding a comfy little booth by a window when her eyes caught a flash of crisp blonde and ebony in the furthest corner. Ino's loud voice trailed into her eardrums as she called out to the stunned pinkette with bubbling jubilance.

"OI, FOREHEAD-GIRL! OVER HERE!"

Sakura turned with a compulsive vein rising on said forehead, her lip twitching in distaste over having her embarrassing nickname yelled out at the top of the blonde's overinflated lungs. She sought out the source of her embarrassment, Naruto going ramrod stiff alongside her and paling a little when he noticed that Ino was not alone.

Sitting across from her gorgeous self were the two people Sakura was dreading to see right now; pushing her sunnies a little higher up her nose, she wound her arm through Naruto's, squeezing his bicep imperceptibly as they sauntered over to the table to join the unlikely threesome.

Her tummy lurched once more at the unwelcome insinuation that came with her thought, even as Saya turned her surprised ( _beautiful_ ) face her way.

A sensually plush smile lifted on her lips, and she scooted past Sasuke so that she could give the quailing pinkette an affectionate hug.

"Sakura-san! I never expected to see you so soon, but I'm glad you're here! Yamanaka-san was just telling me about your glory days in high school!"

"Oh god, _Ino_ , you _whore_! What have you been divulging?" Sakura hissed vehemently, completely mortified as Saya continued to grin like she possessed all of the secrets in the universe behind straight pearly whites. Ino huffed indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at the pink haired woman with a haughty air of indifference.

"Hmph! Wouldn't you like to know."

"Yes, I _would_ , actually. Knowing you as well as I do, it couldn't be anything remotely good."

"Have a little faith, Sakura. Sheesh! And stop looking at me like I killed your cat! Your face will freeze like that forever, and then you really _will_ be ugly."

"Oh go sodomise yourself with a screw driver, you porky bitch." Sakura spat angrily, annoyance amplifying a thousandfold as Ino raised an amused eyebrow in her direction.

Stupid bitch.

She was baiting her on purpose, as usual, and goddammit it was working!

Naruto snorted loudly, barely biting back his bark of laughter as Sasuke looked on with a humoured smirk in their direction; some things never changed, it seemed. And through it all, Saya observed them, smiling sweetly when she finally found her voice amidst the sudden tension that was currently suffocating the once relaxed vibe of the café.

"You two remind me of Sasuke and Naruto. You must be very close." Four mouths fell open in surprise at her casual remark, before they all adamantly denied her observation with every fibre of their beings.

"Oh ew, _fucking ew_ , no way Saya-san! Sasuke is gross—"

"No fucking way am I close to this fucktard—"

"This pink haired bitch is my mortal enemy, are you kidding me—"

"Haha, you're a funny one Namui-san! This bitching porker is as far from close to me as my dead great grandparents are!"

Saya's eyes were wide as she took in their panting, haggard forms, before her mouth fell open. Musical laughter spilled from between her parted orifice, and they all stopped to take in her tittering form with bemused expressions.

"The fact that you would dispute it only goes to show how much you care for each other! Don't even try to deny it!" Saya huffed out between gasping giggles, her psychedelic eyes alight with mirth as she glanced down at her watch with a casual grace that made the remaining women simmer with envy. She straightened her posture, cussing softly under her breath as she threw them an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry I can't stay longer, but I really have to go. I have a photo shoot in twenty minutes." She sounded genuinely morose at the thought of having to leave for work, and Sakura felt guilty for being pleased about her sudden exit, even as she leaned over and pressed her lips firmly to Sasuke's. Pain stabbed at every inch of Sakura's body as she took in that chaste display of affection, and she nearly had to excuse herself for fear of bursting apart at the seams as Sasuke returned her kiss with one of his own.

A small hand entwined with hers, and Sakura turned away from the unpleasant sight before her to look at her tall blonde girlfriend. Her aquamarine irises were filled with sympathy, and she gave the pinkette's hand a gentle, comforting squeeze as they watched Saya saunter away.

"I really hope we can do this again sometime, Sakura-san! It was nice to meet you, Yamanaka-san! And Naruto, you have a lot of grovelling to do to make up for my worrying this morning!" She said chirpily, waving at them one last time before she slipped out of the café without another word. There was a brief moment of silence, before Ino pried Sakura's arm from Naruto's and led her to the bathroom.

"I need to fix my makeup, and Sakura's while I'm at it. You really suck at this, you know Forehead. I mean you're a woman, and yet you can't even get it right—" Ino ranted loudly, quickly ushering Sakura into the bathroom in time to obscure her water works from the view of her two boys. She was immediately pulled into Ino's taut embrace, her soothing voice doing nothing to quell the heartbreak that she was suffering through. Running her fingers through Sakura's silky tresses helped to ease the intensity of her sobs, and soon she went slack with grief against her.

Ino happily supported her deadweight, pulling her over to the nearby sink as she fussed over her like her mother would have.

"Aw Sakura, sweetheart, I know this hurts like a fucking bitch right now, but it will get better, I promise." And somehow, coming from heartbreak central herself, it comforted her, as the pinkette pulled back to look at Ino in the eyes.

Ino had been crazy about her childhood friend Shikamaru for years, and they had dated for several years until he had dumped her for an older woman who went by the name of Subaku Temari. She was an intimidating girl in school, tough as nails with a biting personality to match, but she had protected her family and friends with a fierce devotion that Sakura had secretly admired. It seemed that Shikamaru had also noticed this, as he eventually fell out of love with Ino and in love with her. Sakura had honestly hated them both for hurting her best friend so deeply, at the height of their relationship, and it had taken her even longer than Ino herself to forgive them for it.

That was what amazed her about Ino.

She may be vindictive at times, but she never held grudges—the complete opposite to Sakura, who revelled in the power she had over the people who had tormented her that had sought out her forgiveness, because she possessed no shred of mercy in her heart for them.

The tall blonde, who could easily be a model just like Saya apparently was, removed Sakura's sunglasses, eyes narrowing in concern when she noted just how puffy her own eyes were.

"Clearly you spent the night having fun getting drunk without me. How could you, Forehead Girl? I would have been there for you in a heartbeat." She murmured gently, rubbing Sakura's upper arms affectionately as she grabbed a wet-wipe from her cosmetics bag and cleaned the mess of mascara from her face.

"You are definitely investing in a water-resistant brand of mascara from now on. You cry way too fucking much, and I don't want my girl looking like a panda twenty-four seven."

Sakura laughed, the sound hollow even as the colour returned to her pallid cheeks. At least she was feeling better now. Once she was done, Ino reapplied her makeup with an ease that was enviable—Sakura spent ages on her face, and could barely make herself presentable, so she felt a little bitter. She enhanced all of the pretty pinkette's best features with a soft blush that blended well with her foundation, added a thick electric blue arc of eyeliner over her eyelashes before she added a light touch of her own mascara to really make her eyes pop.

With a smoky dusting of eyeshadow, and a fresh application of cherry-coloured lip gloss, she was done, made up beautifully in under ten minutes as she stared at her transformed reflection in absolute awe. She had never thought she could look this nice in such a short amount of time. She turned her grateful gaze to Ino, who smiled at her victoriously.

"I know. I'm a goddess." And this time when she laughed, she felt it from the depths of her heart as Ino joined her with a huge grin on her lips.

* * *

When they re-emerged from the bathroom, Sasuke and Naruto were arguing animatedly at their table, their expressions twisted with mounting displeasure the more they growled at each other. That all changed when Naruto caught sight of the two women, his eyes popping out of his skull as he stood abruptly, tanned face flushed with heat as Sasuke turned to see what had him so flabbergasted.

His sour expression quickly morphed into surprise, and he stared. And stared. And stared some more. Sakura felt butterflies churning around in her tummy as she took in his intensely hooded gaze, and she had to bite her lip to stave off her urge to squeal aloud. Ino gave her arm an encouraging pat, whispering a "Knock him dead, girl!" into her ear as she took her place alongside Naruto. Leaving the seat next to Sasuke the only vacant option. Steeling her nerves behind a façade of false confidence, the pinkette slid into the booth next to the dark haired Uchiha, his delicious scent permeating into her nose and leaving a hot trail of goosebumps on the back of her neck as she greeted him cheerily.

"Good afternoon, Sasuke-kun!"

He nodded back at her, an indescribable emotion flickering all too quickly through his ebony irises as he took her in at a closer proximity. Wow. She was like a dainty fairy princess. Sasuke made a mental note to thank Ino for dolling her up, even though he knew that she didn't need to. She was gorgeous enough without makeup, after all.

"Afternoon. Did you get a good night's sleep for once?" Sasuke questioned amicably, concern filling his tone as he noted that through her makeup, he couldn't tell if she was lying or not. There were no traces of sleep in her physical features, after all, but there was something about her eyes—they weren't nearly as exuberantly bright as they usually were, and it summoned a wave of anxiety in his gut.

Sakura smiled tightly, trying to hide the evidence of last night's drunken escapade (how she wished it had been a sexcapade) behind pretty white lies.

"Yeah, I got to sleep in for the first time in a long time. Thanks for asking! I'm feeling much better today."

"Good. I'm glad." Was all Sasuke said, a trace of dubiousness lining his expression even as he smiled down at her. He wanted her to stay healthy. He would not accept anything less than that.

"So what were you two arguing about so seriously before?" Sakura changed the topic, smiling impishly as she locked them both down with her nosiest gaze yet. Both men stiffened, Naruto laughing awkwardly to diffuse the tension as he scratched his chin in contemplation.

"Uh, well, just the fact that Sasuke is gross, and he needs to get checked out at the clinic for AIDS. The clap. For _diseases_. Y'know, 'cause he uses his dick _way too much_ —"

"Shut the fuck up, _Naruto_. It's none of your fucking business anyway. Sorry, Sakura. Ino. He's just being a crude, invasive little turd." Sasuke hissed venomously, seething with irritation as he kicked Naruto's exposed leg under the table with the heel of his leather boot. He howled in pain, cussing Sasuke out in every language he could think of as he rubbed his aching shin with vigour.

"You're an asshole, teme!" Naruto returned with a heated glower in his direction, blue eyes blazing with the flames of his wrath even as they simultaneously leaned in towards each other, intent on gouging each other's eyes out. Ino's excited squeal cut through the murderous atmosphere, and she almost jumped over the table into Sakura's lap as she gesticulated wildly in the direction of the barrister bar.

"Oh my god, Sakura! Isn't that Nagato-san?!" Both men watched as Sakura's whole body stiffened in shock, her head whipping in the direction of the blonde woman's pointing finger so fast that they feared she had given herself whiplash as her eyes sought out the object of her abject mortification. He stood there, majestically tall and sinfully handsome as he handled the large beverage maker with an expertise that made the pinkette shiver slightly. His crimson locks were a dead giveaway, his smooth skin pale and hauntingly beautiful as the sweltering sunlight from outside danced across his unmarred complexion.

Sasuke's brow furrowed into a pointed frown, his lips following tout suite as he took a sip of his now cold coffee. It was somehow unbearably bitter to his usually indifferent tastebuds, and he pushed the cup away from him as he focused his gaze intently on Sakura's rapidly darkening cheeks.

"Who's he, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, perplexed as to the nature of Sakura's blushing face as she shrunk into her small frame. She clearly didn't want to talk about this, shame colouring her features a brilliant shade of vermillion as she gazed fixedly at her hands; which were folded tautly across her lap. Ino pounced on her fellow blonde's question, eyes dancing with foxy sensuality as she leaned into him conspiratorially.

"He is the only man to have ever seen Sakura naked more than once!"

Naruto choked on his own spit, eyes comically wide as Sasuke's jaw locked into place, his displeasure all too clear on his face as he gazed stonily in _Nagato-san's_ general direction. A frosty glare overtook his features, and he settled a protective hand over both of Sakura's, which were currently squeezing the life out of each other. Said woman's gaze snapped up in disbelief at Ino's blunt statement, her mouth falling open to dispute her, only to close very quickly when she realised that Nagato was carrying a tray of items that looked suspiciously like her order over to their table…

"Oh my god, oh my god, _oh my god_! S-Sasuke-kun, swap seats with me!" Sakura hissed under her breath, voice absolutely panicked as she stood abruptly, forcing herself past his kneecaps as he complied begrudgingly to her request. He slid along the plush bench, and without any ceremony Sakura plonked herself alongside him, using his imposing frame as a shield as she prayed to god her more-than-one-night-stand-man didn't see her as she sunk back into her position as the wallflower of their group.

"Wait a fucking minute here! You mean Ino wasn't kidding about you _sleeping_ with this guy _more than once_?" Naruto exclaimed in a gravelly whisper, his blue eyes scandalised by this shocking development even as Sakura nodded her head adamantly in response.

"Yeah, okay, so we go back a bit. But it didn't necessarily end on the best of terms, so can we just drop it Naruto—"

"Sakura?" Said woman blanched at the sound of her name from that unbearably sexy mouth of his, and Sakura immediately flashed back to several lust-laden nights of the most mind-blowing sex she had ever had in her life when he had burned his lips into the depths of her skin itself. Face a little paler, she peeked up at him with nervous green eyes, his steely blue irises meeting hers unfalteringly even as a kind smile brightened his expression immensely.

"I thought that was you! It's wonderful to see you again."

"With your clothes on, too," Sasuke had muttered scornfully under his breath, his expression positively murderous as he squeezed her hand with more force than was necessary.

Sakura shook her head, sure she was simply hearing things—because Sasuke would never be so childish—as she smiled shyly up at him.

"Hi, Nagato-kun. I hope things have been good for you since I saw you last." She didn't, however, miss the way Naruto stiffened in time with Sasuke, his bronzed complexion a little paler as Nagato turned his gaze to him.

"Why hello there, cousin of mine. It's been a while, huh? We'll have to catch up sometime in the not too distant future, now that you're finally back home." He said it with all exuberance of the sun as he placed their orders on the table, Sakura's tummy doing somersaults as he pushed her caramel latte and Boston mudcake slice towards her.

"I remember that these were your favourites." Nagato stated simply at her befuddled expression, pleasure trickling through him as her cheeks visibly darkened another flattering shade of scarlet. She matched his hair now, he thought with a smug smile. He was happy he still had such a profound effect on her, even after seven months apart. Handing over his younger cousin's order, Nagato erected his posture, biting back his urge to laugh at the raven haired Uchiha's poisonous death stare as he slapped on his most professional expression.

"I do hope you enjoy your time here. I'm sorry I interrupted your conversation. Naruto, I believe we will be seeing each other soon. Sakura… well, I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other. Until then." He left her side with a flirtatious wink, and Naruto would have died laughing, as Sasuke looked about ready to throw their table at his retreating head, had he not been having an aneurysm over the fact that Sakura had been having _sex_ with his _cousin_.

He voiced his distaste with a horrified glance at the frozen pinkette, who was still reeling from the shock of encountering her old flame.

"OH FUCKING _EW_ SAKURA-CHAN! NAGATO AS IN _COUSIN NAGI_?! FUCKING EW MAN! _URGH_!" Naruto wretched violently, eyes wild with repulsion as Ino fell into his side, cackling hysterically at his sudden and unwanted revelation.

" _You were fucking my cousin_? Oh my god, I'm so done with life! I'll never be able to wipe that visual from my mind, oh that's just fucking _gross_!"

"Fucking _hell_ Naruto, _shut up_! You're too loud!" Sakura hissed between bated breaths, red up to the tips of her ears as she felt Nagato's sultry smile on her from his place behind the bar.

All the while white hot rage was slowly filling Sasuke to the brim; and as he reaffirmed his shattering grip on her hand with a fist that shook with the suppressed urge to punch that leering grin off of that stupid pretty boy's stupid fucking face, Sasuke felt the sting of what he blatantly refused to recognise as jealousy bubbling to the surface.

 _I'd like to see you_ _ **try**_ _and see more of Sakura, you trashy piece of Uzumaki gutterfuck._

Yeah, he totally had it bad.

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 **…TBC…**

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 **Ending Remarks:** _Well this was longer than I had first thought it would be. Yippee for me! If you love me,_ _ **please leave me a review**_ _! I'm really starting to get into this one, so I can almost guarantee that it is at the top of my list of priorities to update on a semi-regular basis._

 _Until next time then!_

-x- **R** _i_ n-x-


	4. Waiting to Break

**Author's Note:** _Wow, I wasn't expecting such a positive reaction for this fic! Thank you all for leaving such encouraging feedback; it really motivates me to continue updating! Do wish my beloved husbando Sasuke-kun, and yours truly, a happy birthday in the form of more reviews! I would very much appreciate it!_

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Chapter **Four:** _Waiting to Break_

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The loud cacophony of her senior year French students was but a dull humming in Sakura's ears as she stood facing the blackboard, chalk in hand as she wrote down the superlative conjunctions for their next revision exercise without really registering her movements.

Thoughts of her embarrassing reunion with Nagato over the previous weekend caused her heart to flutter uncontrollably under her breast, and her lips trembled with a growing smile as she remembered his bright expression—how his face had lit up when he had recognised her in that cosy little café where they had first met.

At that time, he had been a patron like her, and the pinkette distinctly recalled his distant countenance as he had stared out of the glass panelling into the bustling streets outside. The way his scarlet locks refracted the setting sunlight, and the way his complexion had softened into an incandescent quinoline sunset the deeper his pensive gaze sunk into the fading light had caught her attention unwittingly.

Her green irises, sparkling with curiosity and awe, had been drawn to the thoughtful angst in his empty eyes, and she drank in his profile whilst she took note of the pain underlying those steely depths.

She endeavoured to refrain from staring at him, really she did, but it became increasingly difficult when he turned away from the window, and as if by compulsion, raised his gaze to meet with hers. Thoroughly mortified by having been caught in the act—of potentially being viewed as some creepy stalker—Sakura whipped her head to the side, fumbling with the closed cover of her hardback novel and opening it a little too quickly for it to be considered conspicuous.

She buried her face between the crisp pages, praying that a hole would open up and swallow her into oblivion as she attempted in vain to fend off her urge to blush. Just when she had thought she was out of the danger zone, someone cleared their throat, the deep thrum that coursed through her body at the sensual quality to the sound raising the hairs on her arms.

She peered up over the rim of her book, cheeks bursting alight with colour as she was greeted with the sight of that very same man standing tall and proud over her table.

The pinkette squeaked loudly, eyes widening a fraction further as his lips stretched into a sly smile.

"Is this seat free? You see, I couldn't help but notice the pretty lady sitting across from me staring, and I'd quite like to stare back up close; if you don't mind."

His smooth tenor, coupled with his intense and fixed gaze, jumpstarted her heart, and set her blood ablaze with nervous jitters as she nodded hesitantly in his direction. If this gorgeous man was willing to forgo his self-imposed isolation just to sit with her, who was she to say no? Irrespective of her embarrassment, Sakura was thrilled that out of all of the people in this busy little teashop he had chosen to speak to, it was her, and she was going to grab this opportunity by the horns.

Even if that translated to her shrinking back into her seat as he slid into the bench across from her and pointedly looking down at her fidgety hands, because she was too timid to direct her stare anywhere else.

The redhead made himself comfortable, crossing his right leg over his left kneecap as he leaned forward, elbows supporting his weight on the tabletop as he observed the quailing pinkette with amused irises.

"My name is Nagato, by the way." He introduced himself with a buoyant grin, cobalt eyes glinting in the fluorescent lighting as they flickered to life above them. Dusk was setting in, and soon nightfall would follow in turn; the staff, at this stage, were making themselves frantically busy as they prepared for the evening influx of customers.

Their movements were a blur in Sakura's peripherals, and she raised her head so that she could peek up at Nagato's humoured expression through her bangs.

He really was incredibly handsome; his features were soft yet defined, and there was a classic beauty in the way his face contorted so openly with raw emotion that summoned butterflies in her tummy.

She hadn't seen anyone nearly as physically impressive as him since Sasuke—

Her stomach lurched painfully in response to her idle musing, and she had to bite back her stuttered breath before anything more became of it.

Nagato noticed the flicker of tension that filtered into her pretty features the more she stooped in her discomfiture, and he shifted his weight a little further forward so that he could gauge the source of her sudden strain. "Are you alright? You seem a little pale…" Sakura snapped her gaze up to meet with his, emerald irises sparkling vividly in the soft lighting as she absorbed his question with a taut smile on her plush lips.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry, I just… well, it isn't anything important. Please don't worry, Nagato-san, even though your consideration of me is much appreciated." Sakura murmured softly, her voice sweet with musicality as he withheld his urge to sigh in quiet admiration of her.

She was stunning, in the kind of way that makes one breathless with wonder, and he had taken note of her presence long before her eyes had ever roamed over to him. The first time he had come to this café, seeking a place of quietude to take solace in, he saw her—completely invested in her novel, face riveted in place as her countenance betrayed every emotion she was feeling as she lost herself in her imagination. He had been intrigued with her ever since, and often returned to this quaint little joint just to catch a lingering glimpse of her.

It just so happened that on this particular day, while he lamented his bitter circumstances with stoic indifference, that he had happened to catch her eyes watching him too.

And he wasn't about to let this chance slip away between his fingers.

"I'm glad for that, then. And while we are still in the process of considering one another, I would personally like to extend my sincerest gratitude for you giving me allowance to sit with you, my lady. It is truly the grandest of pleasures." Sakura giggled at his superfluous commentary, smiling abashedly in the wake of his grace as she shook her head with as much gusto as she could.

"Sakura is fine, Nagato-san. And the pleasure is all mine, I assure you." He had grinned with all the exuberance of a thousand blazing suns when she had told him her name, and from there they had begun to talk; it was all mundane and mindless at first, but the intimacy of their conversations quickly escalated the longer they were within each other's presences.

The sun had long since set, and darkness had fallen with a vengeance. Streetlights illuminated the world outside of theirs, and cast a mysterious glow over his face as he reached out to tentatively fold her tiny hand within his own; Sakura could feel rough callouses on his hands, which stood in testament to how hard he assumedly worked, and she bit her bottom lip as she wound their fingers together.

It was a bold move for her, especially since this was a man she had never met before prior to today's pleasant happenstance, but she did not regret it—and when he gave her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze, she knew she had not been too presumptuous with him.

His kind smile had her nerves standing on end, frothing about chaotically in her gut as he continued their playful banter with an ease that she mirrored wholeheartedly; it had been a long time since she had felt so laidback in the presence of a man. His thumb traced soothing arcs on the back of her hand, and a forlorn quality flickered through his eyes.

Curiosity piqued, Sakura had asked what it was that made him appear to be so torn; he had looked at her then, really seeing her for the first time, before his lips parted to speak.

"My best friend is a thieving, lying fucking jackass. He basically stole the woman I loved from beneath my nose, and never had the fucking guts to tell me to my face that he had feelings for her too. I had to find out about their dirty little secret when I walked in on them fucking on his kitchen table. It's safe to say that our friendship is more than over now. And I can't even look at _her_ now." His tone seethed with barely suppressed venom, expression cuttingly cold as he glanced off to the side, as if to burn his rage into the glassy window alongside them.

Sympathy had churned about in her tummy, and she cradled his trembling fingers within her own—he was shaking with anger, betrayal and despair, and Sakura could empathise with those feelings all too well.

"Well aren't we the pair. I've been in love with one of my closest friends since before I can even remember, and he'll never give me the time of day. It's pretty pathetic, all things considered. He loves me like a sister, and all this time I've barely suppressed my desire to strip him bare and rocket to the moon riding him." Sakura laughed scornfully, her tone a derisive sneer as her lips pulled into a bitter smile; green eyes dulled by her grief as she swallowed her urge to cry with all the strength she could summon from within her.

She had willpower now.

She wouldn't let _his_ ignorance bring her down.

Not anymore.

"Ha, we really are one of a kind, huh?" Nagato mused with a smirk, eyes trailing back to her face as he continued with a touch of awe in his voice.

"But your friend is clearly a fucking fool, if he can't appreciate you for who you really are, and for what you truly feel. If it were me, you would have all of my time and more to utilise to your every whim and fancy." He finished eloquently, cobalt blue eyes shimmering with the promise of sin at its highest order, and temptation unfurled in her tummy like molten lava spewing out of a volcano.

This man certainly had a way with words. But didn't all men looking for a fun time share that trait? Sakura had been involved on many different occasions with men whose faces she couldn't even remember, much less identify with a name, due to poor choices made whilst inebriated, buying into their false flattery like a dumb whore—but this was the first time someone had solicited her so openly, so candidly and with such conviction.

A part of her firmly believed that this had to be a drunken illusion, because there was no way she would have had the confidence to do what she did next sober.

Gnawing on her bottom lip in such a manner that Nagato's eyes narrowed imperceptibly with keen awareness of her intentions, Sakura ran her own thumb against the pale skin on the back of his own hand. She looked up at him through sooty eyelashes as she responded in kind to his proposition with one of her own.

"So can I have a little bit of your time now? I have a few fancies that I've been dying to try out, and I really, _really_ want _you_ to be my practice dummy."

A trim eyebrow rose into his hairline, lips parting with surprise before a wolfish glean took its place, his smirk carnal and dripping with barely supressed yearning as he voiced his assent with a sharp nod. Smiling in what one would describe as a seductive fashion, the pinkette stood from her seat, the redhead hastily following her lead as he pulled out his wallet and left a generous tip on the table to be collected by the waitress behind the barrister bar.

Making sure that he had tucked all of his belongings away into the depths of his jeans pockets, Nagato strode confidently over to the pink haired beauty as she slipped her handbag over her shoulder, hand reconnecting with hers as he led her out into the parking lot.

"Yours or mine?" He questioned fervently, voice husky and soft as they strode down the gravelly park.

"Yours." Sakura replied instantaneously, holding onto him a little tighter as he veered off to the left and led her to his car; adrenaline coursed through her system, and she honestly couldn't believe she was doing this, that she was capable of being the instigator of a one night stand. Thoughts of heartache and a man perpetually out of her reach flew out of the window the moment she stepped foot into his mode of transport, her pulse racing rapidly to the point where it was thumping against her tonsils as he strapped himself in and reversed out of his spot.

There were only a few other cars in the immediate vicinity of his, and thus he had the freedom to drive freely; Sakura's eyes sought out her beloved Sara-chan, who was parked further out and towards the entrance, and a stab of panic filled her. What if her baby was broken into overnight? What if she was _stolen_? As if sensing her trepidation, Nagato cast her a fleeting glance, before he settled one of his hands over hers, clasping her closed fist until it went slack with contentment.

"I promise you that your car will be safe, Sakura. I'll return you to her first thing in the morning."

"Eh? How did you know she was a she?" Sakura quipped loudly, her green eyes wide with shock as he looked at her from his peripherals. It was clear that he was fighting back a smile, the tight trembling of his lips doing nothing to disguise this as they twitched with hilarity, and the pinkette felt a heated blush settle on her cheeks once more.

"I deduced so from your number plate. Sara is a pretty girly name for a car, after all. I thought you would appreciate her being treated as such." And just like that, all of her anxieties seeped away, replaced with a mounting desire to tug on that gorgeous hair of his and kiss him like the world was ending tonight.

And when he pulled up at their first red light, she did exactly that, his surprised hum of approval sending resonant tremors across her tongue as he deepened their lip-lock.

He had smelt of cinnamon and spearmint, his aftershave musky and heady as she pulled away to catch her breath; the beeping of a car horn cemented them in reality once more, and they realised with a reciprocated laugh that the light was now green.

"My bad." Was all Nagato could manage, his tongue tracing his lips whilst he wished it was hers, and he put his foot down on the accelerator a little more so that he could close the distance between his place and her promise of pleasure with haste.

Sakura giggled breathlessly, face flushed a flattering shade of pink as she made herself comfortable in his convertible. It was an expensive piece of machinery, that was a given, easily putting hers to shame as she took in the sharp leather finish and contouring with admiration. What she wouldn't give to make the kind of money he obviously was.

All too soon they were stumbling through the threshold of his apartment door, lips slanted over each other's as they made very quick work of getting each other hot under the collar. He kicked off his shoes, hefting her curvy frame over his narrow hips as he carried her without compunction to his bedroom. Sakura couldn't complain. The feverish quality of his kisses was summoning a searing burn in her loins, and it was an ache she knew she couldn't quell with her fingers alone.

He pressed her back into an unfamiliar mattress, the luxurious warmth of the woollen doona raising the hairs on the back of her neck as he yanked her skirt down her legs with a succinct flick of his wrists. The redhead took his time rubbing his hands down her thighs, up and over her voluptuous hips, slipping beneath her top and gliding across her tummy before they finally cupped her full breasts without the pageantry that men would normally display. Sakura's breath hitched as he thumbed her nipples through the thin material, and the uncomfortable feeling of them stretching into erectness made her squirm against him.

She slipped her small appendages beneath his form-fitting shirt, admiring the smooth planes of muscle along the way before she ran her own fingers over his hard nubs, his hiss of shock followed by a guttural growl from the very depths of his chest as he caught her wrists and led them to the hem of his shirt. The pinkette was all too happy to oblige, yanking the stretchy fabric over his head until it was thrown into a careless pile on the floor.

Sakura remembered vividly when he ripped the buttons right off of her blouse, his approval of her undergarments apparent as he licked his lips and smirked at her subservient expression. Something in his eyes told her that he would not accept her resigned apathy, because in the next instant he had flipped them over, Sakura sitting astride him as he unzipped his fly with practiced precision.

She had slipped off her bra and thrown it aside, eyes hooded with lust as she rocked against the solid tent in his pants—her own hands coming down to help him remove the last of his attire until he sat naked beneath her. It was surreal, really. She had seen plenty of naked people in her life time, but never with such a profound clarity.

She had always been pleasantly buzzed, or outright drunk and without inhibitions, before now; so she had never really remembered much of their frenzied coupling until she awoke with a pounding hangover the next morning.

Never the less he was as real as she was, and as he yanked her lacy panties down her thighs and rolled her most sensitive treasure between thumb and forefinger, she couldn't have believed it more fervently.

She moaned softly, hips pulsating in time with his tender ministrations as he sucked on her left nipple, his other hand making short work of her remaining peak. By the time he was done with her, she was panting; hot, wet and needy as hell as she squirmed for more friction to be applied to her sweltering slit. He smiled at her, their noses just touching in the ghost of an Eskimo kiss as he ran his tongue along her closest cheek.

Sakura rocked against the tip of his erection, frustrated at his denial of her desire as he held her away from his pelvis; his smile dripping with that smug kind of male satisfaction that made her want to punch him in that pretty mouth of his.

Thankfully, he didn't keep her waiting long.

"You said you wanted to rocket to the moon, right? If so, then you'll have to ride me all the way there." And with that he had dropped her onto his turgid length, sheathing himself hard and fast inside of her until she was nearly sobbing out loud at the shock of ecstasy that tore through her insides. Without any shame or embarrassment, Sakura had done just that, arms wrapped around his shoulders as she anchored him further, farther, deeper, inside of her until she was ablaze with want—

"— _runo-sensei_! Haruno-sensei, are you okay?" A loud exclamation broke through Sakura's risqué musing, and it took her a second to reacquaint herself with her current setting. She was in school. In the middle of teaching a class. Thinking about sex. Thinking about hot, wild, naked sex with Naruto's older cousin.

Fuck.

She was sure that her cheeks couldn't have gotten any darker than they were in that moment of absolute horror as it dawned on her how unprofessional she had been, thinking about what all of the adolescents in that room usually thought about in their minds multiplied a thousandfold. Her recollections had been in surround sound, for God's sake! Nothing came as vividly and mortifyingly as that did, especially not in public. Or in school, for that matter.

Sakura turned, frazzled, seeking out the source of her rude awakening, only to see one of her only star students gazing back at her with worry etched into the lines of her face.

"Yes, Umi-chan, I'm fine. I think I might be coming down with something, is all. I'm feeling slightly off colour, but I digress! Everyone! Please open your exercise books to page 256! Today we will be revising the functions of _le_ _superlatif_ in conjunction with the past, present and future tenses! Please be aware that I will call upon any one of you to respond in conversation with me, and be prepared with a suitable response." Sakura stated firmly, shaking off the remnants of her daydream as she switched on her teacher's mode once more. No more distractions.

She needed to remain true to her profession, and to her student's needs; she would not be a slave to her own body's desires, even when the distinct throb in her groin said otherwise.

Immature chortles of barely suppressed laughter filled the near silent room, and Sakura's sharp hearing was just able to catch Suigetsu's offhand remark—it was a slap to the face, to say the least.

"Pfffbt, I'll bet you Karin's reputation as a whore that Sakura-sensei was thinking about fucking her beau boy-toy over the weekend!"

Eyes narrowing into a glare, Sakura scowled viciously in said teen's direction, lips parting to spit out her distaste in the form of words. "Suigetsu! I hope you're ready for this next exercise, because you shall be leading it! I want no conjecture about anything other than _le superlatif en Français_! Begin!"

And like a deer caught in the headlights, the white haired teenager stared back at her with wide violet irises, toothy grin slipping off of his face when he realised that she was being completely serious. Success! That would remind him of who the true authority in this room was, even if she would always be short on respect when it came to him and his one-track, oversexed mind. Of course, she hadn't expected much of him from the get-go, but this was her issuing corporal punishment for his blatant overstepping of her personal boundaries; and the fact that he hadn't been far off in reading her flushed countenance caused her to bristle with mortification.

Was she really that transparent? One could put it down to youthful assumptions based around the one thing all teenagers were prone to pondering about, but it all seemed a little too suss when it came from the king of perversion himself. He knew more about how to read the atmosphere than any of the other kids in the room, and it was simply too traumatising to contemplate in her mind; she was supposed to be the responsible adult, the one her students could come to and rely upon.

And yet here she was, setting a disastrous example of propriety by not being able to filter her thoughts with a strict PG censorship label.

She couldn't afford to lose her job because of something so menial! She would prove to herself that she could be unaffected by Nagato's re-emergence in her life, simply by reminding herself of _why_ she had stopped "seeing" him in the first place. Sakura had been too naïve, too susceptible to his charisma and charms, and after having slept with him on multiple occasions over the course of her last swelteringly hot summer vacation, she had become dependent on his presence in her mediocre existence.

They weren't anything exclusive, she had known that—or at least she thought she had, because she had never experienced a real relationship before, and the fact that he took her out on dates that didn't end in sex had her falling for him before she had even become aware of it.

Which was why it had hurt so much when she had walked in on him getting frisky with another woman she didn't know—a woman who was clearly older, more experienced, and devastatingly beautiful to boot.

It was safe to say that she never saw him again after that. Seven months apart had helped her to come to terms with the fact that what they had shared, however brief, had been worth the painful, unspoken breakup; and in the end, she was truly thankful for him having given his everything to her for those short few weeks of absolute bliss.

After all, she now had a taste of what it was like to be loved, if only superficially and for her body, and she knew that her feelings for Sasuke were unconditionally unshakeable. Because she wanted to have that same taste of decadence with him, but for the rest of her life, rather than for one night betwixt twisted bedsheets.

While she had been with Nagato, she had been able to plaster over her love for the dark haired Uchiha with the affection she had truly felt for him; it had been a pure, honest kind of love in comparison to the deep and endless well she often found herself drowning in whenever she thought about the source of that paradoxical ocean.

It had been a healthy dose of feeling that had left her besotted with the redhead, and she had genuinely believed that if anyone were to capture her heart over the course of time, then he would have been that man.

Now, she was unable to cross that line again. He had made it more than clear to her that she had been a means of escaping his own torment, and although she could completely empathise with his need to do so, there was a part of her that could not forgive him for blurring the line between fuck buddies and lovers so carelessly.

Sakura had felt played for a long time, but then she reminded herself that she had only been seeking comfort and base pleasure in his arms; nothing more. She hadn't wanted _more_ with anyone _but_ Sasuke, but those sentiments had snuck up on her when she had least expected it, and she had suffered through her first veritable heartbreak because of it.

Even when her one true love had always been the primary cause of her heartache, he had never had her in such an intimate manner, _more than once_ ; and she had been at the mercy of his touch as much as his fickle temperament until he had discarded her for the next beauty that caught his interest.

At least Sasuke made the state of their relationship more than clear, painful as it was to accept and digest at times.

Sakura had only had to suffer in silence as her one-sided love went unseen and unreciprocated, as opposed to suffering through not knowing where she stood with the red haired Adonis that had plagued her every thought for months after she had left him behind her.

But none of that mattered anymore. She had finally moved past that stage of her life, and she could say without a doubt that she had forgiven him; really, what _was_ there to forgive, when she had used him just as vindictively to vent her sexual frustrations on? She smiled tautly at that thought, shirking off her negativity as she fixed the floundering Hōzuki with a glare so intense that he sunk back into his seat with a slightly terrified expression on his face.

Good.

At least she had regained control of the situation at hand.

He wasn't about to fuck up again so soon, not when she wasn't in the most agreeable of moods.

"If you can't answer me, Suigetsu, that's fine." He released a relieved sigh, the pressured tension practically melting off of his face as his lips pulled into a smile; a smile that quickly fell when he noticed the ominous glint in the pinkette's eyes.

"But if you are unable to adequately respond, then you will be sharing the detention hall with Morino-sensei for the rest of the week for talking smack about me behind my back. Don't think I'm unaware of your inane banter. I wasn't born yesterday, and I'm more than sure that Morino-sensei wasn't either. He won't take to your rudeness so kindly, after all." Sakura simpered sweetly, her expression belying her tender tone as a triumphant smirk lifted at the corners of her mouth.

She knew profoundly the effect Ibiki had on the students; he had had that very same impact when she had been in school, only she had never been on the receiving end of his wrath. Being one of the top students in the school had earned her a lot of his respect, and so he had given her a lot of leeway in class time situations. He was a kind man at heart, even if he was gruff and terse most of the time—the classic definition of a stiff that didn't know what fun was. But the pink haired Haruno had always liked that about him.

He was a realist, with a penchant for waging psychological warfare with the weak-willed and distinctly unpleasant, and he had a caustic sense of humour that had never failed to lift her mood from the gutters. Sakura always threw his name into her threats, because it worked a treat every single time, in every one of her classes. The fear that was associated with the older man was felt in every year's students, and she wasn't the only teacher that abused this flaw religiously in her practice.

If it would force them to commit to her class, then she would do anything to persuade them to take her seriously.

"R-Right. Uh, well… Karin… er… elle est la plus… _jolie_? Elle est la plus jolie fille que je connaisse…?" His pronunciation, as expected, was atrocious, but Sakura felt her eyebrows raise in surprise at his response; because more than the fact that he had openly admitted to having feelings for his on again-off again girlfriend Karin, he had actually grasped what she had been talking about. He had been fairly on point, dare she even say it— _correct_?

Inner Sakura gasped and screeched in successive surprise. She couldn't believe her ears.

She felt her grin before she could stop it from stretching the planes of her face in pleasure, and she directed her gleeful expression his way; he was startled into befuddlement at her dramatic shift in mood, and he swallowed thickly in order to stave off the terror that was rapidly bubbling to the surface. He was so beyond fucked, wasn't he?

All the while, Karin was looking pointedly at him, comprehension dawning on her that he had actually said something _nice_ about her—even if it wasn't in Japanese. Regardless of what naysayers believed she was like, Karin was actually incredibly astute, and as quick as a whip, smarter than people gave her credit for even when she hid it behind sultry smiles and thick black glasses.

She was consistent with her grades, and she excelled in French only when it really mattered; that may or may not have something to do with the extra tutoring sessions she took with Sakura over the holiday breaks. She denied their relationship was anything but poorly, but Sakura knew better; the redhead was as tsundere as a girl could come, but they were weirdly enough rather close friends, age gap aside. Having grown up with Naruto, Sakura had often been exposed to her as the sole female in her huge family filled with testosterone, and they had always gotten along like a house on fire.

Which translated to disastrous at times, but all the more solid because of it.

So while Karin pretended to be indifferent to her status as her teacher in school, when it was on their own time, they got along like siblings would. But no one else but the two of them knew about this little secret of theirs, and they strove to keep it that way; for the sake of professionalism and popularity respectively.

Sakura fought to suppress her tender smile as she watched Karin blush, adjusting her glasses as she looked away from Suigetsu before he could catch her staring at him, her lip between her teeth as she hid her grin behind false stoicism. She sniffed indignantly, huffing when she was nudged in the ribs by her friend Ami, before she muttered something infinitely snide under her breath which made the group of girls in the near vicinity of her laugh aloud. Sakura shook her head, exasperation lining her expression as she mused about how in denial the feisty teenager was, before she commended him for his accurate depiction of their current exercise.

"Très bien, Suigetsu! Very good! That is exactly what I am looking for! The use of _le et la plus_ and _le et la moins_ is imperative in successfully utilising _le superlatif_ in conversational French! You must always remember to adjust them accordingly when considering the nouns you seek to use; masculine singular, feminine singular, or masculine and feminine plural! Once you have grasped the context of your sentence, it is easy to modify your meaning and thereby extend upon it with the use of _le superlatif_." Sakura explained enthusiastically, watching the comprehension dawn on the white haired teenager's face as he realised that she had praised him for being _right_.

He smirked haughtily, tickled pink with himself as he glanced out of the corner of his eye at the pretty redhead across the room from him.

It was so fucking obvious he had it bad for her, but he was just as stubborn as she was about admitting it to himself, and Sakura could only roll her eyes in contempt—their situation eerily similar to her own, even if she did not realise it herself.

* * *

"Sakura." The pinkette's attention was pulled from her quiet musings as she raised her eyes from her desk full of paperwork, only to be greeted with the sight of Kakashi, whose arms were folded over his chest as he levelled her with a pointed stare. Her sight was bleary with exhaustion, and she vaguely recalled that she had to be somewhere; none of that seemed to matter now, as she fingered the lingering stack of messy leaflets with an open atmosphere of contempt. She had obviously lost track of time trying to frantically finish marking her student's most recent work submissions, and the dim glow of the streetlights outside informed her of her lapse in observation.

"Kakashi-sensei! What are you still doing here?"

He raised a silver eyebrow in response to her startled exclamation, dark eyes soft as he took in her dishevelled hair and the indelible smudges beneath her pretty green eyes. She honestly worked way too hard. It wasn't any wonder her usually vibrant irises were so dull, and a tug of worry pulled at his gut. Sakura always had a habit of burying her head in the sand when she couldn't face something, using her work as an excuse to avoid her problems even when they were obviously affecting her and her work ethic in turn.

Sighing in quiet resignation, Kakashi pushed off of the wall he was currently leaning up against, sidling over to her desk with a majestic swagger that would have seen her flat on her ass should she ever attempt it. He sat down on the rim of the wooden tabletop in front of her, effectively ceasing all of her half-hearted attempts at working altogether as she looked up at his stern expression with a touch of anxiety. She was in for a lecture, from the looks of things.

He didn't disappoint her expectations.

"So I take it that your perpetual moping at your desk is because of one idiotic Uchiha prodigy?" Kakashi began without a shred of tact detectable in his amicable tone, the sheer cheer in his voice making her flinch as he hit the nail on the head.

"Am I really that easy to read, sensei?" Sakura asked with a cutting laugh, expression drawn taut with the strain over her musings as she met his gaze with self-depreciating irises. The silver haired man sighed once more, running a large hand through his hair as he stared back with equal fervour, the kind glean in their depths enough to smother the last vestiges of her depression once and for all.

"When it comes to Sasuke, you've always been an open book, Sakura. There isn't any shame in that. It just means that your love for him is sincere." She blushed at his bluntness. He had never been one to mince his words for the sake of another's feelings. He continued onward with his spiel, oblivious to her internal dissection of his character as he pinched her chin between thumb and forefinger.

"But if he's making you so unhappy that you can't do your work efficiently, then you need to say something. Don't let his obliviousness to your feelings for him hamper your nerve, Sakura. You are a strong, capable woman, and he would be the luckiest man alive to have you on his arm; if only you'd have the courage to be upfront with him." Kakashi stated conversationally, a touch of wisdom coating his voice with raw experience as he searched her countenance for some kind of resonance to his words.

Instead he was met with resistance, a sad glimmer settling over her features as she turned away from him.

"Well I would do that, but there's a cog in your logic, sensei. You see, Sasuke is involved with someone else now." Sakura murmured softly, so quietly that her voice had almost diminished into nothingness as Kakashi absorbed her whispered confession of despair with wide eyes.

Well. He hadn't expected that revelation.

"We _are_ talking about the same Sasuke here, right? As in the Uchiha brat who had no idea about the wonders of the female persuasion, and denied he even had a libido even _after_ he had graduated? _That_ Sasuke?" The elder man exclaimed in legitimate surprise, shock colouring his expression as he tried to envisage his fool of an ex-student in a relationship with a woman. With _another_ woman that didn't have pink hair and psychedelic green eyes.

It was… unsightly, somehow.

He had always been Sakura's number one supporter, and from the shadows he had tried in vain to push the two towards each other; the natural magnetism between them had been ridiculous, and it had driven him to the brink of insanity that they couldn't feel it too. So to hear this from this sweet girl he cared for so deeply, from the sweet girl who had been drowning in a futile love all of her young life, was heartbreaking. He had never seen a love quite like hers before; it was wholly unique and wholehearted, and it transcended even this tragic twist of events.

Kakashi could see that all too clearly in her eyes, which were shaken, but not completely broken yet. She could still endure. If she had waited this long, then surely by some stroke of luck, she would finally get what she wanted most in the world. He knew this with a single glance, and swore to himself that he would do anything he could to meddle his way into Sasuke's happy little universe of self-centred bigotry so that he could shine the light of awareness over his stupid brain.

Sasuke didn't know what his heart really wanted because he was too close to the matter at hand—Sakura—and he was going to help to correct this.

One step at a time.

Sakura felt her eyes bulge when Kakashi cupped her cheeks between his warm palms, and she returned her undivided attention to him. He wore a supportive expression that was obscured, as always, by his medical mask, his eyes crinkled with a smile as he addressed her with a hushed tone not dissimilar to her own.

"If he can't see what a wonderful person you are, Sakura, then he isn't worth the effort. But knowing you, you aren't likely to heed that advice, because yours is a love that is all-consuming, right? If that's the case, which I'm sure it is, then you have my full support. We'll make him see what an idiot he's being, one way or another. And I'm sure Naruto feels the same. We're all batting for you, Sakura, and no closet-imitation of you will ever fulfil him the way you can." Kakashi muttered affectionately, rubbing his thumbs beneath her tired eyes as they watered with raw emotion.

"I know this because you are perfect for each other. Case closed. He's an ignorant jackass, and you're just the reality check he needs to come back to his senses. You may not believe me, but I'm sure that your feelings will reach him some day. I believe in that with all of my heart, so don't let his _girlfriend_ dissuade you from loving him with all you've got."

Sakura looked just short of crying now, lips trembling with a small smile as he gazed back at her with fierce devotion written all over his visage. How did she get so lucky, having such a wonderful person in her life as her greatest supporter, and an even greater friend?

"After all, you've loved him twenty years longer than anyone else. And those who get a head-start in the race we call life will always cross the finish line a winner in the end." Kakashi finished sagely, barely able to register her movements until her face was buried in his neck, arms wrapped in a steely embrace around his broad shoulders as she clung to him like he was the last thing anchoring her in place.

"Thank you, sensei." Sakura exclaimed with fervour, tightening her hold on him as he folded her up in his warmth and kissed the top of her head through white linen.

"You're always welcome, Sakura. Now get going! Don't you have a dinner date with two morons tonight?"

Sakura perked up at that, her back going rigid as she swore loudly in the wake of her absent mind. Pulling away from Kakashi's imposing frame, Sakura's eyes sought out the overhead clock, cursing profanely when she noted that it was twenty past eight.

On Saturday she had invited Sasuke (and begrudgingly Saya in turn) over for dinner at her house today with Naruto, and he had agreed to come around at eight-thirty with his significant other attached to his (sexy) hips. Her tummy lurched unpleasantly at the other insinuations that came with that double-edged sword of a thought, and she quickly grabbed her things as Kakashi stood once more alongside her frantic frame; with an ease that made her envious.

It was like his muscles and joints knew nothing of cramps and prolonged stiffness.

"Ah shit! I'm _so_ gonna be late! Naruto's gonna _kill_ me! I was supposed to help him prep dinner an _hour_ ago!" Sakura proffered anxiously, all but running from the room as she bid her sensei a good evening over her shoulder.

Kakashi merely chuckled to himself, settling down in her chair as he sifted through her loose leaflets with sharp eyes. If he could help her out even a little, he would do anything—even sit behind a desk he swore he hated with every fibre of his being and finish off a pile of paperwork that wasn't even his to do in the first place.

 _Damn, I've got it bad, huh?_

* * *

"I am so sorry, Naruto! I lost track of time working, and then I got stuck in traffic!" Sakura wailed morosely in the wake of his stern expression.

Honestly, he wasn't annoyed at all. She worked hard as hell, and he was freeloading off of her while he searched for some form of employment to get him by and pay her back for her offer of homestead. What he was unhappy about was the fact that she hadn't called to let him know where she was sooner.

He had been swept up in panic as he pondered the thought of her being involved in a traumatic accident of some kind, even whilst he made their dinner and set the table for three; Sasuke had arrived an hour early, as he usually does whenever he stipulates a time to meet up, without his Barbie doll on his arm.

Naruto had had to hide his malicious smirk of victory behind a rude comment about Sasuke being too punctual for his own good as he let him into the comfy apartment.

At least Sakura wouldn't have to put up with entertaining any gross and unwanted public displays of affection in her own home; at least for tonight.

No… tonight, Sasuke was all hers.

"Yeah, yeah, Sakura-chan. Just give me call before you drop off the face of the earth next time, okay? I was really worried about you." Naruto responded curtly, his tone clipped with an edge of his previous anxiety as he led her by the hand into her living room.

Sasuke, who had been invested in one of the more sophisticated novels from her bookshelf, stood quickly, his expressive features contradicting the neutrality in his obsidian orbs as he stalked towards her with tension riddling every contour of his body. Butterflies exploded in her tummy the closer he came to her, and she faintly noted Naruto stepping away from her and excusing himself to the kitchen even as Sasuke buried his hands in her rosette tresses and tipped her head upwards. He looked down at her from vast heights, mouth pressed into a thin line as he attempted in vain to formulate the right words in his mind.

When he couldn't quite find them, he leaned down, pressing those lips in a tender kiss against the centre of her forehead, and he curled his arms around her shoulders in an unshakeable embrace that left her internally combusting. The sweet scent of his cologne tickled against her nostrils, and the softness of his dark locks was mirrored by the texture of his silky shirt against her cheek.

She revelled in his affectionate gesture, her own arms winding around his waist as he breathed evenly against the crown of her head; his grip on her tightening imperceptibly as he murmured his own concern into her hair.

"I'm so glad you're alright. Don't you ever scare me like that again, you hear me?" The raven haired Uchiha stated resolutely, pressing another kiss to the top of her head as he held her to him like the world began and ended with her in his arms.

Sakura hummed in acquiescence, never feeling as complete as she did in that one moment of decadent bliss, and she indulged in it for as long as she could.

For in that sliver of import, he was no one else's but _hers_ , and she clung to that sentiment with all the greed her heart could bear to muster.

* * *

Naruto watched on from his spot in the kitchen, expression worn with frustration as he absorbed the dance with Temptation itself unfold before his eyes in a spectacularly anticlimactic fashion. He was so completely _over_ their antics; he knew it wasn't either of their faults in retrospect, but it didn't stop him from feeling bitter.

If he could see it, and if Kakashi could see it, then why couldn't they?

It was so exasperating, especially when they were clearly besotted with one another. The lingering embrace they were currently sharing said it all. Of course, they were fucktards. He didn't expect them to read between the lines, after all. He mightn't possess their brilliant intellect, but it didn't take the sharpest tool in the shed to see how much they really cared for each other.

 _How do you not see it, Sasuke? Sakura-chan? I'm not the brightest crayon in the box, I know, but it's so fucking obvious it hurts to watch. This train wreck that is your love… fix it before it shatters completely, okay? I don't know how much of this any of us can take anymore…_

"Oi, you stupid fuck and my eternal goddess! Dinner's ready!"

Let the perpetual show of witlessness commence.

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 **…TBC…**

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 **Ending Remarks:** _Drama, angst, more drama, and a dash of fluff and smut for your trouble!_

 _Please do leave me a review, and let me know what you think so far!_

 _Until next time!_

-x- **R** _i_ n-x-


	5. Lover Dearest

**Author's Note:** _Holy crap guys, you're kind of wonderful y'know? Thank you for all of the lovely reviews! I've had a few tragedies in the space of the last few weeks, one of which including the loss of a much loved member of my family, so please excuse me for not feeling motivated to update as much. Also, I'm back at uni until early December, so if I do have the chance to update, it will be sporadically._

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Chapter **Five:** _Lover Dearest_

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 **.**

Sakura awoke, several days after her wonderful dinner with her boys, to the shrill trilling of her cell phone blasting fervently in her eardrums, a moment of true import dawning upon her as she blearily searched for the time on her digital wall-clock. 3:47a.m. Groaning loudly in protest, the pinkette rolled over in her mess of blankets, intent on ignoring the pesky device and getting a few more precious hours of sleep before she had to go to work. And that is exactly what she did. Drifting off, she thought nothing of her rude awakening; allowing slumber to wash over her once more as she settled further into her land of impending dreams.

So when her phone rang once more, insistently and without refrain, Sakura spat out an obscene expletive; followed by a long string of equally vulgar phrases that would have made Naruto openly blanch. Without further ado, she snatched the shrieking device from her bedside table and answered it, her lips curling with growing distaste as she voiced her ire with an annoyed "What the hell do you want at three in the freaking morning?"

Her grouchiness quickly evaporated, however, when she heard the distinct sound of choked sobbing down the line.

" _S-Sakura-chan...!_ " The feminine wail of her distraught mother filtered into her ears, and Sakura's gut churned with a sense of urgency that she hadn't felt in a very long time. Bolting upright amidst twisted bedsheets, the pinkette pounced upon her with an encumbering sense of guilt weighing down her conscience. She should have noticed sooner that it was her mother's ringtone!

"Mama? What's the matter? Are you hurt? Do you need an ambulance—?"

" _Noct passed away a little while ago. Oh Sakura-chan, I'm so sorry!_ " Haruno Mebuki cried despairingly, her tone fraught with such emotion that she was left feeling raw to the core of her being. Sakura felt her insides go numb with a sudden chill, her whole body stiffening as the first signs of shock registered with her. Her beautiful boy...?

Surely not...?

"W-What?" She exclaimed dumbly, her green eyes widening as she bit back the sickening urge to crumble into nothingness. This couldn't be happening. There was no way this was real. She was having a terrible, godawful nightmare, and this was nothing but a phantom of her worst fears.

Noct couldn't be dead. There was just no way.

" _I don't know what happened. He was completely fine yesterday! But Kizashi found him on the couch, and he had stopped breathing. We tried to contact Hana-chan, but she's overseas right now, and no one else was willing to take our call. I'm so sorry baby, but he's gone._ "

Shockwaves of disbelief rocketed throughout her system, and Sakura barely registered dropping her phone as she felt the bitter sting of tears pooling rapidly behind her eyes. Her little bundle of joy, the light of her life itself, dead? This wasn't happening.

"— _kura-chan? Baby girl, are you there?_ "

Time seemed to cease altogether as Sakura flipped her phone shut, and she sunk into herself and allowed her blankets to bury the deepening sound of her sobs as she lost herself in her grief. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. Denial stained her every thought an ugly shade of blue, and she briefly entertained its likeness to Sasuke's favourite colour; even as inertia robbed her of consciousness once more.

* * *

Timid knocks on her bedroom door startled Sakura into alertness once more, and she struggled to open her puffy eyes. They were sealed shut, swollen with tears and sore as sin, but she ignored the unpleasant stickiness around her face in favour of burrowing further into her heavy duvet. Her heart, already buried beneath fractured fissures courtesy of one oblivious Uchiha, had been split down the middle as her despair had been wedged back into its delicate surface unflinchingly, and she couldn't bear the thought of getting up for work.

It was just after seven in the morning, and the pinkette was no closer to a logical, adult coping mechanism to go about her regular routine than she had been four hours ago. She honestly hadn't hurt this much in a very long time, and it was a bitching burn that reminded her of why it was that one should never get over-involved in the affairs and lives of others. She was too kind, too genuine to ever falsify her feelings for anyone, and thus this loss was almost unbearable for her fragile nature to take.

Given her current state of being, whereby she was the awkward fourth wheel in Sasuke's perfect little life, the pink haired Haruno had honestly not been prepared for an even more pressing pain; one that, as always, stemmed back to the man himself as well. Noct had been her most beloved gift from Sasuke, for her sixteenth birthday. For as long as they had been friends, Sakura had always wanted a pet; but because her parents worked impossibly long hours and were rarely home to help supervise her in caring for it, and because her particular district had condoned the ownership of animals, she had never been allowed to have one.

It was only after they had moved to a better, more family friendly neighbourhood, that she had been given allowance to have her own precious child. Naturally, it had been through Sasuke's goodwill that she had gotten him in the first place. Sakura remembered the way the raven haired teen had awkwardly sidled into her housewarming slash birthday party, a little later than his usual punctuality deigned acceptable as he made his way over to her with a rather large carrier box. She had screwed up her face, dubious as she took in his smug expression, before comprehension dawned upon her with startling clarity.

"Happy birthday, Sakura." He had murmured softly, for her ears only, before he set the carrier down on the couch next to her, and opened the metal grate at the forefront of the box. And out from that unseemly carrier tumbled a little black ball of fur, so small that Sakura had been sure that it would fit in the palm of her tiny hands. Big blue eyes adorned a little head like it had been born with the sky in its eyes, and it's fluffy coat was indicative of its weeks old status; with a fuzzy little tail and tiny little paws, and the cutest fucking button black nose Sakura had ever seen in her life, kitten Noct had been a literal dream come true.

She remembered squealing and throwing her arms around Sasuke's waist as he laughed at her exuberance, squeezing the stuffing out of him before she returned to fawning over the shy babe pawing at her lap. From the very first moment she had laid eyes on him, it was love in its purest form, at first sight; and when he melted into a purring marshmallow in the cradle that her arms provided for him, she knew that he was the only one other than the man who had blessed her with him who she would ever love unconditionally.

He had pulled her through so much shit, and made her life an invariably brighter one because of his active presence in her day to day struggles as an awkward, unhappy teenaged girl; so to discover that he had died out of her sight, without her knowing that he had been so evidently unwell, was killing her in turn. Sakura had been torn when she had been told that she couldn't have pets in her apartment complex—and because it was the only affordable option she had, and because it was so close to her job, she had had to suck up her despair and leave him behind to live out his days with her parents.

They had been more than happy to care for him in their early retirement, having the means to do so comfortably, and he brought them an equal amount of pleasure as he did for her as the years wore on.

The pinkette had never known of a love that could transcend the bonds of human connection, but she had found it with him, and it hurt like hellfire itself as it seared through her bloodstream like liquid acid; corroding her fragile heart into a mass of ever-expanding anguish. Shutting her eyes to stem off the growing tide of tears that were currently filling them to the brim, Sakura assimilated herself once more amidst heavy layers, denial once again keeping her company in her misery even as the knocking continued.

"Hey, Sakura-chan? Can I come in?" Naruto's gravelly timbre was softened with sympathy as he leaned into the wooden barricade that separated them, his blue eyes dark with sadness as he tried for the umpteenth time to coax her out of her room.

He had woken with a start to the sound of the landline ringing shrilly in the din of daybreak, sweat forming on his brow even with the airconditioner blasting away at eighteen degrees Celsius. Kicking off his light blanket, the blonde had stumbled into the kitchen, scratching his bared chest and rubbing his aching eyes as he removed the ringing phone from the cradle of its receiver.

"Hello, this is the Haruno residence. How may I help you…?" Naruto bit out with a yawn, his voice thick with sleep as he searched with groggy eyes for the time. 6:07a.m. Damn. This had better be good—

" _Oh, Naruto-kun! This is Mebuki. I just wanted to call, to check up on Sakura-chan. She won't take my calls on her mobile, and I'm so worried that she's not taking it very well—_ "

"Eh, whoa there mama Haruno! What's going on?" Naruto interrupted with loud fervency, expression falling slack with concern as the elder woman filled in the blanks for him.

" _Oh dearie me, I must apologise, Naruto-kun. I thought Sakura-chan would have told you by now, surely. Noct passed away early this morning. I called to let her know, but I don't think she's handling it very well. Could you please… make sure she's alright? I know this must be killing her right now, Naruto-kun, and she could use your support. Yours and Sasuke-kun's both._ "

The boisterous man felt himself go cold with shock, clearly not expecting such awful news first thing in the morning, as he nearly tumbled to the ground with the force of his startle. He, more than anyone else, knew how much that precious little cat meant to her. It was the gift from Sasuke that had been the catalyst for her falling out of crush with him and _in love_ with him instead; Noct had been there for Sakura through the absolute worst of her life's trials and tribulations, had been there to lick her wounds and kiss them better when they had been too far away to do so themselves. Noct had been her baby, in every sense of the word.

One of Naruto's favourite photos of Sakura was one where she was cradling him like she would an infant, cupping his little head against her shoulder as she pressed a tender kiss to his sleeping face.

He had had it as his screensaver on his laptop for years, and it made him joyous beyond words description every time he looked at it; because it was a reminder that even in love, she was not completely unfulfilled, and that Sasuke was not her one and only. It made him hopeful that she could pull through and persevere a little while longer before the metaphorical straw broke the camel's back; but now, she had very little left to cling to in the wake of this disaster, and those fraying vestiges had died with her beloved kitty.

"Of course I will, Mebuki kaa-chan. I'll go check up on her now." Naruto simpered empathetically, her grateful thank you dampened with her own tears as she excused herself from the phone for good. And thus he had been aimlessly knocking on her door for the past hour, the doorknob refusing to budge as it rattled into futility the more he tried to turn it over. Go figures that she would lock it.

"Sakura-chan, I know it hurts more than anything right now, but holing away by yourself won't make the pain go away. Let me in, so we can talk." He continued in his attempts at breaching her walls admirably, but when he was met with pointed silence, he knew then that he had to call in the big guns.

"Well teme isn't gonna be happy about this…" Naruto muttered tersely, remembering the raven haired Uchiha's foul temperament in the face of early morning wakeup calls all too clearly as he sidled down the hallway and plucked his phone from its place on the kitchenette. He had left it to charge there overnight, and with a full battery, it was ready to dial his inevitable doom.

Shaking off his reservations—he really didn't want his ears to bleed from Sasuke's venomous threats of death so early on in the day—the blonde tapped open his contacts list, speed dialling the number at the top of his list as he waited with bated breaths for the older man to answer.

 _Ring, ring. Ring, ring. Ring-ring. Ring-ri_ —

Amidst the fourth tone, there was a familiar crackle that signified that he had picked up after all. A heavy exhalation filled the first second of the call, before Sasuke unleashed the foulest string of expletives that Naruto had ever heard in his life down the line—a big deal, considering he was potty-mouth central itself in most circles. When he was done cursing Naruto's very existence into the pits of the underworld itself, the livid Uchiha snapped out a " _What the fuck do you want, you dumbass?_ "

Blue eyes wide with surprise at his especially grouchy morning greeting, the blonde shook off his desire to give him a good tongue lashing in order to convey the unpleasant news to him without a shred of tact in his voice.

"Just thought I'd call to let you know that Noct died this morning, and that Sakura-chan has barricaded herself in her bedroom. Your services are required at the request of mama Haruno. Later, you fucking bastard."

He had the distinct satisfaction of ending the call with the last word, but it only lasted for a moment at best. He was far too concerned about his lovely pink haired angel to care about the ongoing pettiness shared mutually between himself and Sasuke. Throwing his phone onto the couch, Naruto made his way down the hall once more, making himself comfortable outside of her bedroom door with his back pressed against the nearby wall.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sakura-chan. I'll stay here all day until you let me in, and you know I will!" He exclaimed stiffly, voice not betraying his sadness as he tried his best to sound optimistic for her sake.

She didn't need his negativity affecting her mood any more than it already was.

 _I'll always be right here for you, to hold your hand whenever you need me to, Sakura-chan. Just… don't leave me hanging, okay? Reach out to me, before it's too late._

* * *

"Mou, Sasuke? What's wrong? Where are you going so early in the morning…?" Saya mumbled sweetly, drowsiness a perpetual shadow on her face as she peered up at the younger man with concerned turquoise irises. Her hair was distinctly mussed up in that questionable fashion that made many snicker and blush, and this was further affirmed as she watched her naked lover pull on a pair of slacks and a button-up shirt from his tarpaulin bag. His movements were jerky with haste, and he moved robotically around her master bedroom as he collected his wallet and her car keys from the bedside table.

She sat up on her elbows, brow furrowing further as he slipped on his most comfortable pair of boots and ruffled his messy chin-length locks in clear agitation.

"Sasuke?" Saya called out to him once more, her blanket falling away from her bared body as she slipped out of bed and made her way over to him; he was rigid with tension and a need to leave, and it was a little bit disconcerting to see him so shaken. Worry mounting within her chest, the brunette pressed a soft kiss to his shoulder, prompting his attentions, although brief, once more.

"Did something happen?" She questioned softly, her expression beseeching him to open up to her as she reached up and brushed a stray lock from his forehead.

He sighed resignedly, tired eyes falling to a close as he leaned down and ghosted his nose against her own.

"I have to go. Something urgent has popped up. I'll be back in time to get you to work." Sasuke murmured gently, expression conflicted. Clearly that was a lie, and Saya wasn't an idiot. If he had to leave, with her car no less, at quarter past seven in the morning, then something monumental must have happened, for he would not forsake sleep for anyone or anything. Not even her. She hummed softly, knowingly, eyes belying her inner turmoil as she sent him off with a light peck on his mouth.

"Stay safe. I'll get Kin to pick me up for work, so take your time, sweetie. I'll see you later." He nodded tersely, brushing his thumb against her cheek before he strode out of the room, purpose riddling his every step as he made his way down to her parked car.

Saya smiled wryly, her countenance the picture of bitter irony as she put the dots together once and for all.

 _So it's Sakura-san, then…? Sasuke?_

* * *

Illegal or not, Sasuke was on the phone while he was driving, expertly weaving through the early morning traffic as he waited for the recipient of his call to pick up. They did on the second dial tone, and he did not hesitate to address them.

"Kakashi, Sakura isn't well, so she won't be working today. Pass that on to whomever it concerns."

Kakashi's amused chuckle in response to his brash commentary was as crisp as fallen snow, and Sasuke idly wondered how he managed to sound so chipper so early in the goddamned morning.

" _Well now Sasuke, this is a surprise. You're up awfully early. Catty girlfriend's got your tongue on a leash, I see_." It was all said nicely enough, but the raven haired Uchiha could sense an underlying animosity in his tone that made his pleasantry sound almost sinister in quality, and he had to suppress an unexpected shudder behind a false face of bravado. The silver haired man could be incredibly intimidating when he wanted to be, after all.

"Puns about cats aside, this is important. Please pass it on to the relevant source. And how the hell did you know about Saya?" There was a moment of silence on the end of the line, and Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch in irritation. He had never been very patient in the wee hours of the morning, after all. He was a saint at any other time in comparison to now, where he was merely a demon in disguise.

What raised Sasuke's aggravation another notch was the elder man's sage response.

" _I am God, Sasuke. I know all, I see all. You ought to know this by now, surely. Give Sakura my condolences. I will make the appropriate arrangements_." Grunting monosyllabically, a little stunned at how perceptive the man was even now, he went to hang up, only to catch Kakashi's final words—and they made him shift uncomfortably in his seat as he turned into her apartment complex.

" _Oh, and Sasuke? Take five minutes to level out your temperament before you go near my favourite former student. You have this tendency to be an asshole at all hours before one o'clock. Bye now!_ " And with the last word in, Hatake Kakashi hung up on him, leaving his skin crawling with poisonous ire.

Fucking bastard.

He was _not_ an asshole.

Not intentionally, anyway.

Scowling, Sasuke exhaled sharply, blowing his long side fringe from his face as he recomposed himself. He wasn't about to let that old coot coddle him about like he was five years old. He was a grown man, and he was mature enough to deal with his temper; especially since it was Sakura he was awake for. He pulled into the empty space next to Sara-chan, stepping out of the flashy convertible and locking it before he stepped into her building's foyer. The same woman was manning the front desk, looking half asleep as she thumbed through a trashy magazine noncommittally.

At least he wasn't the only one less than peachy about being conscious so early. He had evidently caught her attention, as she levelled him with a sultry smile that was buried behind a thick mask of makeup, and he merely nodded politely in her direction; swallowing his distaste in favour of making his way up to Sakura's place.

"Have a good one, handsome."

Yeah, like that was gonna happen. Dead cat's, grieving mother ducklings and shitty Uchiha's are a literal recipe for disaster.

* * *

Naruto's head snapped up as Sasuke stepped into the foyer, kicking off his boots quickly as he stashed the spare key to Sakura's apartment in his pants pocket. She had given one to each of them at dinner on Monday evening, saying that they could come and go as they pleased whenever they needed to, particularly when she wasn't home. It made for breaking into her home to comfort her at unprecedented hours of the morning eerily convenient, but neither of them could complain.

Sasuke took long strides towards Naruto, quirking a manicured eyebrow in his direction as he stared down at the hopeless slump of man-flesh at the foot of Sakura's bedroom door.

"It's locked." Was all Naruto said, but it was enough for the elder male to click his tongue in clear annoyance.

"Well at least one of us can actually pick locks." Sasuke returned with a smirk, his expression victorious as he scavenged for a piece of wire to use. The blonde glowered darkly at him from across the room, lips parting to spit out a few rude comments of his own.

"And it's the reputable Uchiha Sasuke who takes gold for being a juvenile house burglar at the age of fifteen! Congratulations for reigning supreme in the art of being a criminal." Sarcasm dripped off of his tenor like an oozing puddle of mud, and he glared at the blunt expression on Sasuke's face; as always, he was unaffected by the blonde's biting remarks, merely shuffling past him as he levelled his found object into the locking mechanism on the door.

"I'm only a criminal if I get caught. And I never did, so in the eyes of the law, I'm clean. You, on the other hand, could do with a lesson in propriety yourself. Learn from the master while he still feels like calling you his best friend." Sasuke proffered with smug smirk in Naruto's direction, and the audible clicking of Sakura's lock coming undone echoed like magic to their ears.

"Who's the man?" He continued with an elegant flourish, Naruto mock saluting him with a sour twist to his lips before it was wiped clean off his face as the dark haired man held his hand out to him.

"Get your ass off the floor, you moron. It's time to be a good friend to Sakura." Naruto, eyes wide, expression clearly stunned into a stupor of surprise at the tender inflection in Sasuke's tone, grinned up at him, before he grabbed a firm hold on Sasuke's extended palm and allowed him to pull him to his feet.

"Right, 'ttebayo! Though I think it would be better if you broke the ice, teme. After all, well, you did kind of give him to her and all. It makes more sense for you to be in there than me for the time being." Naruto quipped firmly, an unknown quality to his voice making Sasuke edgy as he nodded in acquiescence. He was probably right about that.

Sasuke did feel responsible for her pain, after all. He had bought her that kitten because it had been all that she had ever wanted and more for so many years, and he couldn't resist the temptation of seeing her face light up like a Christmas tree when she held that little bundle in her arms. He had wanted to make her happy, but now that had all come to a screeching halt, and instead his gift to her was gone; and more than anything, he wanted to make her pain go away, if only a little.

Steeling his resolve, Sasuke gently pried open the door, stepping into the threshold before he sidled over to the large foetal lump that had become Sakura.

She was buried beneath blankets and pillows, a petite woman lost amidst perpetuating grief and masses of material, and he needed to see her more than anything in that one moment of raw despair. His heart ached dully in his chest, and he wanted nothing more than to lose himself betwixt those sheets as well. Her impenetrable fortress was to be pervaded upon, and he would be the one to do so, come hell or high-water. Without a trace of hesitation, Sasuke climbed onto her mattress, his weight distinctly shifting the pinkette's equilibrium as she rolled back into his knees; pressing into the small of her back with his upper legs, the raven haired Uchiha arched over her, fingers curling around the hemline of her duvet cover only to have it ripped from him and tucked beneath Sakura's head by said pink haired woman.

"Sakura." Sasuke addressed her sternly, a flair of concern drenched in agitation filtering into his voice as he placed a firm hand on her shoulder—or at least, he assumed that it was her shoulder. Through the blankets, it was hard to tell. There was a soft whimper, and the pinkette attempted in vain to shuffle away from his imposing stature.

Pffbt. As if he would let her.

Boxing her in with his frame, Sasuke sunk down around her, spooning her from behind as he curled his right leg over her hips; ultimately pinning her in place. He ran tender arcs of touch through the blanket against her body, no longer enforcing his will upon her as he cradled her to him in silence, her quiet crying turning into heady, gut-wrenching sobs the more he comforted her.

"Noct had a long life, Sakura. A long and happy life, because you were the one who loved him. Don't ever forget that you were the most important person in his life, and never forget that you loved him. He'll live on in your memories, as he will in all of ours." Sasuke recited a similar spiel to the one his mother had spoon-fed him when he was six and his dog Kana had died, recalling in implicit detail how secure it had made him feel. Yes, it sounded cheesy and over the top, but it worked a treat never the less.

Sakura had always fallen into the cliché pool head-first, after all.

She sniffled, before the top of her pink head peeked up through the top of her blankets, giving Sasuke an eyeful of blotchy cheeks stained and swollen with emotion and lips that were bruised from her teeth. Apparently she had tried to literally bite back her urge to cry. Silly girl. A gut-rending pull tugged insistently in his gut, and his dark eyes melted into lukewarm empathy as he reached out and cupped her cheek—exerting the kind of caution one would consider when handling fragile goods.

"Everything will be alright. Naruto is here for you. Your parents are here for you. But most importantly…" Sasuke trailed off leaning in so that he could press their foreheads together. Their noses barely had an inch of space between them, and Sakura mused at the humorous side of looking into Sasuke's dark eyes at such a close proximity; thoughts of incredibly attractive cyclops men were quickly overshadowed by the reminder of why Sasuke was there in the first place, however, and her lip trembled under the intense weight of his scrutiny.

 _I'm here for you._

The kind glint in his ebony irises coaxed her tears to emerge, irrespective of her blatant, adamant refusal to fall apart in his arms, and she sucked in a harsh breath that was but a stuttered sob as he ran his long fingers through her hair. His thumb brushed against her temple, swooping up into her hairline before his whole hand cradled the base of her head; his left arm was pressed beneath her neck against the mattress, curling around her shoulder as he rolled her into his embrace.

"It's okay to cry, Sakura." And with that, the dam broke.

A small part of her mind—the part that she called Pride—was affronted that he would think so lowly of her, that she should stoop to tears just because he had given her allowance to do so. But the largest part of her—the part called Inner Sakura—wanted nothing more than to take comfort in the notion of comfort itself, and actual Sakura was quick to follow in her haphazard example. At first, she thought she would be compromising her claim to being a mature adult woman by caving into her aching desire to break apart at the seams of her existence as she knew it, but then that was being ridiculous.

Every human being was entitled to feeling pain, and it didn't make her weak because she was hurting. She had proved her resilience well enough with Sasuke as the main illustrative point; she had yet to succumb to her heartache as she observed him getting cosy with another woman, and for that she puckered with internal pride even as her eyes burned with emotion.

The first tear trickled over the bridge of her nose, and Sasuke's thumb was quick to wipe it away into the depths of her skin. He murmured consolingly into her ears when she began to sob, arms folding around her as she sunk into his embrace; nestled in the crook of his neck, hands pressed against his chest, Sakura fell apart, the volume of her cries rising an octave as Sasuke pressed a lingering kiss to her temple.

"I'm here, Sakura. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

Curled up in a moment of decadent despair, she shed her melancholy into the nadirs of cotton that encompassed his broad chest; the lingering scent of sweat and musky cologne clinging to his skin serving as a painful reminder of a night of pleasure past that would never be hers.

But that didn't matter. Not now. For in that very precious instant, _she_ was his _entire world_ , and that was all she could have ever asked for.

* * *

Naruto edged into the room with cautious footsteps, blue eyes taking in the sight of what he assumed was Sakura—buried beneath swathes of heavy linen made it difficult to determine as such—wrapped up in the raven haired Uchiha's arms as he ran his fingers through her pink tresses. It had been half an hour of waiting on the blonde's part, and frankly he was feeling impatient. Being able to discern the sound of Sakura crying, muffled as it was through her door, had been like a knife to the gut, and it had taken every inch of willpower within him to stop himself from barging into her room and pulling her into his chest.

He knew that Sasuke was the best means of making her feel better; he had always been her remedy for lassitude, after all. Her remedy for everything. So while he licked the sting of her wounds with sweet words and tender kisses, Naruto could do nothing more than sit by her door and wait for his moment to intrude. While Sasuke was great at accepting the need for sadness by soothing those bitter emotions with empathy, Naruto had always been better at making her smile and laugh in the wake of tragedy.

Sakura's breathing had evened out, and it was clear that she had fallen asleep. And the closer he got, the more obvious it became that she had been crying a lot; her cheeks were swollen, tinged an angry crimson and blotchy as hell, and his stomach lurched unpleasantly in response. She was _so_ beautiful, but not when she was broken. Not like this, where she was a mess of feelings unnoticed and unreciprocated. Naruto had never been able to stand idly by when she was in pain, and thus his latest show of self-restraint was beginning to fray away at the last threads of his patience. He stopped astride Sakura's bed, Sasuke's dark eyes flickering up to glance at him briefly, before he returned his undivided attentions to her slumbering form.

"She fell asleep about ten minutes ago. Silly girl, she's exhausted from crying all night long." He muttered tersely, deep voice soft and conflicted as he brushed the side of his hand against her bared cheek. It was such an intimate gesture that Naruto had coughed into his closed fist, turning away with an awkward jerk of his neck; embarrassment colouring his expression as he cursed Sasuke to hell and back internally for being a fucking moron.

 _Oh my **god** , you're literally the embodiment of clueless, teme! Get the fucking hint already!_

"This fucking sucks, Sasuke. No one should have to start their day like this, least of all Sakura-chan." Naruto stated bluntly, his bright blue eyes glistening with sorrow as he absorbed the homage to lovers everywhere playing itself out in a tangled mess of blankets and limbs that were anything but involved. Everything about the scene before him screamed romance, but of course, they were ten steps behind everyone else in this dance called life, and thus it had not become apparent to them yet.

The contentment on both of their faces; the utter besotted affection carved into every line of the dark haired man's face, as he gazed down at her oblivious figure with the kind of wonder that only a man in love could ever fully muster upon their features; the careful way in which he held her petite frame to him.

All of it was blaringly evident to Naruto. He had been with them from the very beginning, had watched their tentative waltz pull them closer together even when their steps were completely out of sync, and it was that lack of unity that had kept them both perpetually ignorant to each other's feelings—to their own feelings. It was what had inevitably kept them apart, and it was awful to bear witness to. He couldn't reiterate it more fervently, because he had been on the sidelines of this one-track disaster for more than fifteen years now.

They were twenty-six years old, and still stooping in their self-imposed darkness, and his skin prickled with aggravation. There was an endless quota of clueless shared between them, and surely the gathered interest was going to leave them broke and desolate one of these days.

Shaking off his musings like they were poison, Naruto returned his immediate attention back to the pair on the bed, his lips twisted with a wry smile as he watched Sakura shift into a more comfortable position. Her arm folded around Sasuke's torso, blankets slipping off her shoulder to reveal unblemished skin in its wake as she snuggled into the warmth his embrace offered her.

Sasuke smiled gently to himself, dark eyes lukewarm as he brushed his lips against the centre of her forehead in the whisper of a kiss.

Taking that as his cue to leave, Naruto slipped away in silence, pulling the door to a close behind his departing frame—pretending that he didn't hear the sweet nothings murmured between secret caresses on behalf of his stupid ass best friend as the wooden barricade muted their intimacy indefinitely.

 _Fucking moron._

* * *

"Sakura." A voice that could only belong to her love brought her back into consciousness, with the kind of calm that one would not expect to feel in the wake of loss, and said pinkette felt her heart flutter wildly beneath her breast as her eyes opened blearily.

Sasuke's hair was tousled with evident signs of sleep, his own eyes tired in a way that Sakura could reciprocate with ease as she took in the delicious sight of his handsome profile up close. He was a sight for sore eyes, even with his hair out of place and dark shadows forming under the planes of thick black eyelashes—so, so long that they flickered against the pale flesh beneath them. His visage was as expressive as ever, and he was clearly as dazed as she was.

Blindly searching the room around her, Sakura's eyes fell upon the clock on the wall across from her. 1:47p.m.

Shock rippled through her system, and she realised that she had slept the day way, instead of going to work like the mature adult she apparently was not. She hadn't even called in sick! Sasuke read the panic in her expression immediately, laughing softly at her large doe eyes—that made his heart skip several beats that he adamantly refused to acknowledge—as he gave her closest hand a gentle squeeze.

"I called Kakashi this morning. He's covering for you today. Don't worry so much, Sakura. You need a break to get some rest." Sasuke murmured soothingly, completely slack with contentment as he lay there alongside her. Sakura had to bite back her urge to smile, the impulsive twitch at the corner of her lips bringing a smirk to his own mouth as he sunk his weight down even further into the mattress beneath them. Sakura nestled her face into the arm he had tucked under her head, inhaling his natural scent as he played with the ends of her hair. He marvelled at its silken texture, even when he thumbed a clump of knots, and how long it had grown since he had seen her last.

It had been chin length throughout their childhood, the same length as his now was; at one point, in the most extreme of her tomboy phases, she had chopped it all off into a boyish crop that had made her look like a lanky trans child. A beautiful trans child, of course. She had always been androgynous then, and Sasuke had often entertained the notion of finding her attractive even if she had been born a male. Sometimes that confusion shone through, in the way that he began to treat her more carefully, holding her at an arms-length whilst also holding her hand when she couldn't bear the distance anymore.

It had never mattered to him how she chose to display herself, because she looked gorgeous no matter what.

But now that it hung low, past her shoulder blades without a split end to be seen, Sasuke was a little... Disconcerted. It cemented her sensuality in a way that breasts and hips could not, as she had always had those; maybe not as pronounced as they were now, but he had always been hyperaware of those changes in her physique.

They were inevitable.

But Sakura's decision to grow her hair out, however, was not expected at all. She had always complained that long hair was way too difficult to maintain, and that she couldn't be bothered to put that amount of time into caring for a mane of dead skin cells. And yet here she was, an enigma wrapped up in contradiction that Sasuke could not decipher for the life of him.

She had grown up so much in the last five years it was almost unbelievable.

Sakura felt the same about Sasuke. He had always been unearthly in his good looks, but now it was just fucking ridiculous. Her heart was in a constant state of fluster whenever he turned his gaze her way, and even though he had always made her feel like the world revolved around his entire existence, it was seemingly amplified by his matured sexual outlook. The flirtatious edge to his tone when he teased her now raised her temperature several notches, and left her tingling all over. Thankfully there hadn't been many of those instances, otherwise she would spontaneously combust from the intensity of her mortification. She shouldn't feel this way about another woman's boyfriend, even if she had loved him far longer.

It wasn't a competition. He wasn't hers, so it wasn't fair.

But what about this situation was even the remotest bit fair?

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun..." Sakura mumbled into his bicep, hair falling into her eyes as she nuzzled his bared arm with the tip of her nose. Sasuke chuckled, muttering a succinct _"No problem, Sakura."_ under his breath. She smiled at that. It was so like him to brush off her gratitude like he wasn't worthy of it.

"We should probably get up." The pink haired Haruno quipped reluctantly, her voice betraying her desire to remain there in his arms even as he began to sit up in clear favour of her statement.

"Yeah, the dobe is probably frothing at the bit to see how you're doing." Sasuke responded to her with amusement filtering into his tenor as he stretched out his stiff muscles; Sakura doing her utmost to look away from the rippling of his sculpted muscles beneath taut skin so as to avoid that familiar bubbling in her tummy. There was no room in her life for lust right now, especially not today. He turned to glance at her over his shoulder, noting the forlorn quality to her expression as he reached out to brush his knuckles against her cheek. She raised dull green eyes to meet with his, and he smiled softly at her, the sympathy in his eyes sucking the moisture from her mouth and her eyes as she smiled back at him.

"It'll get better, Sakura. Let's go reassure Naruto that you're okay now, alright?" The rosette nodded dumbly, a little breathless as he helped her up from her bed, consequently supporting her deadweight when she realised that her motor functions weren't quite up to scratch yet. Lying in foetal position for hours on end guaranteed maximum discomfort, after all.

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun." It was meant to be noncommittal, merely the usual banter between friends as they apologised for something mundane, but there was a weight that suggested a deeper nuance to her tone that left Sasuke reeling.

"Never apologise for something that isn't important, Sakura. You know I'd do anything for you." Sasuke stated firmly, resting his chin atop her head whilst trying to suppress his growing smirk over the fact that he had to bend down to get to her level. She was still small, at least. That would never change. Sakura hummed quietly in response, nodding more to herself than anyone else as she steeled her pounding heartbeat behind a false facade of calm. Her heart, still hurting from the sting of her baby's loss, was trembling with feelings that were not solely dedicated to grief, and she was embroiled in the torment of guilt.

She wanted nothing more than to stoop in depression, but Sasuke's presence was of great comfort to her, and she relished in his undivided attention as he led her by the hand into her living room.

Naruto was slouched in his nook on the couch, flicking idly through the television channels without ever looking up from the floor. His eyes caught movement in his peripherals, and he was quick to jump to his feet when he realised that Sakura had finally emerged from her cocoon of despair.

"Sakura-chan! Oh my god, I was so worried about you! You silly twit, I was about to bust a kidney over you!" Naruto exclaimed hoarsely, eyes wet with tears as he shoved Sasuke aside and threw his arms around her shoulders. Sakura giggled, mirth filling her with warmth as she gave the blonde a comforting rubdown along his broad back, hands resting against his waist as he squeezed the stuffing out of her.

Sasuke growled imperceptibly, jabbing Naruto sharply in the ribs and eliciting a pained yowl from his lips.

"OI TEME, YOU FUCKER! THAT _HURT!"_ He spat venomously, turning his appalled gaze upon the taller man without a trace of amusement in his expression. Sasuke tipped his head to the side, smirking haughtily at the blonde's disgruntled disposition even as a flicker of jealousy filtered through his steely irises. He was clearly displeased with the display unfolding before him, and with a vindictive grin his way, Naruto tightened his hold on the oblivious pinkette by means of exacting his revenge.

"Retribution for you being a dick."

" _HA_ , look who's talking! Coming from the King of Pricks himself, that's rich!"

"Get your filthy fucking paws off of her, you twat. You're smothering her with your latent tendency for idiocy." Sasuke spat vehemently, brow twitching with the impulse to kill as he pried tanned fingers from the depths of Sakura's skin and flung them back into an equally tanned chest.

"And put on a fucking shirt, you disgusting piece of shit!"

Naruto scoffed with faux scorn, shaking his head as he tutted in an overly exaggerated manner in Sasuke's direction.

"I saw enough of you naked over the years to scar me for life, teme. It's time for you to feel my wrath for all of that accumulated trauma." He retorted with a feral grin, dropping his pants an inch lower down his hips until his abs peeked up through the slack material. Sakura's cheeks heated up when she realised that he wasn't wearing any boxers, and Sasuke's hand whipped out to thwack him upside the head and viciously tug on his ear.

"You foul little—"

"OW, OW, FUCKING _OW_ TEME! LET ME GO YOU _FUCK_ —"

Sakura's loud laughter cut between them, reverting their attention back to her prone form. She was holding her stomach, lips a wide stretch of mirth as the whites of her teeth peeked out from between them. For the first time that day, she genuinely felt her joy, and it summoned chuckles of equal hilarity from the two men in front of her.

They had succeeded to brighten her dismal day, if only a little, and it was enough.

It had to be.

* * *

Sakura's arm was folded within Sasuke's as they approached her old house, her lip between her teeth as Naruto stepped into place beside her, his blue eyes watching them inconspicuously through his peripherals. He caught the dark haired Uchiha gazing down at her with a torn expression, his hand curling around hers as he stepped up onto the patio landing out the front of her house. Mebuki was waiting for them, quick to usher them inside as she wrapped Sakura up in her arms.

She led them out into the back yard where her husband was digging up a hole beneath their cherry blossom tree, the muscles in his biceps straining against the unrelenting earth at his feet as he plunged against it with the head of his shovel.

Sweat poured down his slick skin, the boiling temperature of summertime doing nothing to curb the laborious heat wave that was encumbering him as he wiped a wet forearm over his dripping forehead. Sakura felt a swell of love fill her chest at the determined set on her papa's face as he made a grave deep enough to hold their family treasure, and she knew then just how devastated he really was. Through the stern set to his jaw and the stiff contour of his shoulders bearing down upon him; but most of all through his eyes.

They were swollen and suspiciously red-rimmed, and she felt her eyes sting once more as she realised that he had probably been up all night crying too.

He was a gruff man at most times, one born jubilant and twisted with a sadistic streak so vile that it made her blush at the best and worst of times, but he was a sensitive soul, and he had loved Noct like he had loved Sakura. Like his own child. And he was burying that child today, for her. For him. For all of them. As if sensing her gaze upon him, Kizashi looked up from his manual task, blue eyes meeting with hers before he gave her a solemn smile that spoke volumes. Unknowingly, she tightened her grip on Sasuke's arm, leaning into his side as he guided her over to where her father stood.

Watching.

Waiting.

And as Sakura gave Noct one final cuddle—tears flowing like an endless waterfall as she pressed loving kisses to his face—and lowered him into his final resting place, Kizashi could only stand there and shake his head in disbelief. His disturbed expression morphed even further into an exasperated stupor when his daughter's head fell unwittingly onto Sasuke's shoulder, the tall man resting his cheek against the pink crest of her head in quick succession as he slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Naruto, at this point, looked away in apparent disgust, rolling his eyes as he made a sardonic gesture their way, before he caught the Haruno patriarch's amused countenance looking right at him.

The blonde raised an eyebrow, making an obscene show of displeasure to the naive pair in front of him in the form of an exaggerated head shake, before he grinned at the elder man in understanding.

Kizashi returned the gesture, expression a little dimmer as he noted Sasuke's fingers curling around her small shoulder in such a manner that only a lover could ever fully hope to realise.

It was tentative, and so natural that to the untrained eye they really appeared to be in love. But he knew better. They all did. And all he could really do for her was dig the holes to bury her heartache in, and hope that the decay of time would ease the breaking of her universe as she knew it with the comfort of eternal slumber.

At least, for a time.

Because _surely_ , her love would win in the end.

 _Surely_ , Sasuke would not remain blissfully unaware of the affairs of his own heart.

Right...?

 _For the love of god boy, get over yourself and marry my baby already, so help me god!_

It was safe to say that Sakura's friends weren't the _only_ ones who had it out for them.

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 **…TBC…**

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 **Ending Remarks:** _Kind of an omake, if you will. I'll get back into the nitty gritty of their relationship next chapter. Whenever that comes about. Please be so kind as to leave a review. I'd love something to feel good about right now._

 _Until next time._

-x- **R** _i_ n-x-


	6. Pain Without Gain

**Author's Note:** _I am alive. Sort of. Merry Christmas guys! Thanks so much for all of the encouragement and support on this fic, and for the one hundred reviews. I really appreciate it._

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Chapter **Six:** _Pain Without Gain_

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It had been a week spent in mourning before Sakura returned to her usual schedule. What had prompted her miraculous recovery, or lack thereof in this case, was an invitation to join Sasuke and Naruto at Saya's photoshoot on Saturday. It was being held at the beach, and as only the bombastic blonde could, he had made it into an extravagant affair—calling upon the presence of all of their high school cliques so that they could have an impromptu reunion of sorts whilst the raven haired Uchiha's lovely girlfriend finished her work for her current project.

Sasuke had been a little morose at the news, having only wanted to spend time with his two closest friends on his one day off from job hunting, but Naruto had merely slapped him on the back and demanded that he " _Yank that stick out of your ass so we can have a party_!"

Sakura had smiled weakly throughout it all, half-heartedly reassuring the younger male that she was up to it even when inside she felt as fragile as glass.

"Stop being a worrywart, you dork." She had exclaimed sternly, voice carrying only the ghost of her former gusto as she scolded him for being so over the top about her recent depressive episode. He did have fair grounds, she supposed, to be so pedantic about it though.

It was merely an extension of the ongoing torment that she had been enduring these last few months watching Sasuke gradually drift further out of her reach into the arms of another woman, but she was an adult now. She couldn't afford to be so petty about her unrequited love having a love life all his own. And yet, the irrational part of her yearned for something she knew all too well she could never have, and it tore her apart inside.

Naruto had turned his dubious expression her way, mouth falling open to protest only to have Sasuke smack him over the head with a closed fist. A loud yelp left the shorter man's lips, a string of vapid and vehement curses quickly following suit as the Uzumaki male threw a nasty glare towards the source of his pain.

"What the _fuck_ , Sasuke! That was just _rude_!" Said male sent a deadpan stare Naruto's way, dark eyes sparkling with the slightest touch of amusement as he held his best friend's gaze with a seriousness that stopped him dead in his tracks.

"If Sakura says she's fine, then she is. Let it go, you idiot." His tone was matter of fact, countenance defensive as he shifted his stance so that he was obscuring Sakura's wilting frame from sight.

The evident deflation in her glassy eyes was all Sasuke had needed to step in. He knew that the emotional upset of losing Noctis was still as fresh as it was the day it had occurred, but she clearly wanted to respect the dead and move on with her life. Naruto coddling her was not helping in reintegrating her back into the normality of her day to day life. Sasuke knew better than anyone else that she was as far from okay as people could be—but the true of extent of it escaped him as the pinkette in question sent him a despairing look of desperate, resigned longing from behind his turned back.

Naruto caught the fleeting glance, of course, but he could say nothing; only look on in exasperated melancholy as he bantered with his unlikely friend with as much gusto as he could muster.

"Even if you say that, we both know she's still sad. And she will be for a while. Which is _why_ a celebration's _exactly_ what she needs to pick herself back up again! Parties with all the people we love are the best kind to have, and it will turn that frown upside down 'ttebayo!" The blonde rebuked loudly, gesticulating wildly as he grinned up at the taller man with blue eyes that glittered with perpetual excitement.

Sasuke knew as well as Sakura did that their moronic best friend was a party animal—he was merely using her pain as an excuse to let their hair down and get funky. But for once, it was a sentiment filled with good intention, and so the pair had very little they could say to dissuade him.

"Oi teme. You said that Saya-san has a shoot at Fujizawa, right? There's a beach about ten minutes outside of that locale. Why not host it there? It could be fun." His husky baritone was steeped with suggestion, and Sakura would have smacked him for the very conspicuous glance he made between the two of them had she not felt so withdrawn.

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest, lips parting to flat out reject his proposition when he paused, hesitant.

What if it was just what their pink haired angel needed to recompose herself? Sasuke had, at one point in his youth, despised social gatherings of any kind with a passion. Even now, he felt an inkling of distaste at the mention of such shindigs, as they were merely a tool for debauchery and drunken foolishness (both of which he was guilty of indulging in.) But if it was with peers that he was familiar with, that could bring the cheer back into Sakura's smile and a bounce into her step, then who was he to say no?

He turned on his heel, catching the pink haired woman's eye as he inclined his head in question.

"… Feel like going?" His tenor was but a soft murmur meant only for her ears, and she felt her heart jump into overdrive as he gave her a meaningful look. Sasuke's expression was carefully schooled into neutrality, but his eyes were as expressive as always, and Sakura couldn't help but nod in spite of herself.

"Well, I guess… it couldn't hurt, huh?" Sakura shifted in her spot, green eyes deceptively bright even though the indelible smudges beneath her eyes said otherwise.

Although she was of low spirits, she figured that getting out of her apartment was one way to distract her from her misery. Naruto and Sasuke meant well; the blonde attempting to take her mind off of her personal conflictions about her dark haired love by doing what he did best, and the latter by acting no differently around her than before. He treaded with the appropriate caution, of course, but he made no effort to overcompensate for her pain with pity; he didn't treat her like she was emotionally invalid like her parents currently were (as they had been babying her all week since then as if she wasn't capable of functioning anymore), and she couldn't have been more grateful for his deference.

Naruto's expression lit up at her verbal consent, and he grinned from ear to ear whilst bouncing on his spot in the café that they were having lunch in. They were still standing together, queuing up to order as they conversed with one another freely.

"Hell yes! This is gonna be great, you'll see! When was the last time we all had some quality party time together, as a group?" He chattered rapidly, voice growing louder by the second the more excited he became.

Sasuke hissed under his breath for him to shut the fuck up, Sakura blushing at the sideways glances they received from the disgruntled patrons in front and behind them. Naruto hadn't cared less, merely continuing on down his tangent as he made solid plans that both parties knew they wouldn't be able to get out of, both exhaling a quiet sigh of relief as they were finally called forward to place their orders. Sasuke hooked his fingers around hers, causing her head to snap up in surprise, cheeks rosier than ever as he pulled her forward with him; ultimately pushing Naruto behind them.

The cashier working behind the till was as starry-eyed as all of the women in the café as she took in the raven haired Uchiha's gorgeous features up close and personal, but he hardly paid her any heed, looking askance at the menu overhead as he ordered his meal with smooth and collected proficiency.

"One coffee, black—no sugar, and a crispy chicken burger."

He paused for but a moment, casting Sakura a fleeting glance before he tacked on the second half before she could even breathe a word of protest.

"And she would like a large caramel latte and a chicken Caesar wrap, hold the cheese."

Her eyes widened then. He had remembered her slight intolerance to the delicious substance that was cheese, even though she would just as easily suffer through the inevitable stomach ache just to taste its rich goodness.

Her heart fluttered once more, and she began to wonder if all of those skipped beats were leading towards cardiac arrest. Fortunately for her, when they were prompted to pay, Sakura was torn from her musings, and she quickly shoved her hand into her handbag, fishing around for her purse before Sasuke placed a tentative hand over her own. Emerald irises sought his out amidst her floundering, and he held her curious gaze with an openly softened expression dancing about his handsome features.

"It's on me, Sakura."

The pinkette puffed out her cheeks, intent on refusing his kindness—only to be met with stern resistance. There was no way she was about to get her way here, was she? Exhaling in evident defeat, Sakura sunk into his side, fatigue catching up with her after so many sleepless nights spent crying her eyes out. Concern sparked in both men's eyes, and Sasuke was quick to wrap a supporting arm around her lithe shoulders, large hand holding her in place as he handed over a substantial number of notes to the bug-eyed serving woman in front of them.

"Keep the change." Sasuke muttered succinctly, nodding in acknowledgement at the young girl before them and just barely managing to suppress a twitch when he saw the metaphorical hearts forming in her big doe eyes.

"Oi teme, couldn't you have spared some change for your best friend's lunch?" Naruto wailed despairingly, azure orbs aghast as he gaped in Sasuke's direction. Said male merely sent him a smirk over his shoulder as he stepped out of the cue with Sakura in tow, mirth seeping into his tone as he went to save them a table.

"Not a chance in hell, you freeloading dobe. The money there is a tip for the staff, not an excuse for you to be a tight-ass." And then they had sauntered off, aforementioned moron left in an absolute stupor at the extreme couple-vibes they were exuding.

It seemed he wasn't the only one affected by the display, as the people around them all openly spied on the two as they walked away in each other's arms.

 _You just keep digging this grave even deeper for yourself, Sasuke. Do you even fathom how boyfriend-like you're being, or have your brains rotted too much inside that overly thick skull of yours?_

If Naruto could faceplant into the floor right at that moment, he probably would have. They were both as fucking dumb as each other, honestly!

As Sakura thought back on the chipper Sunday afternoon out with her boys in the middle of marking a stack of midterm re-examinations—the ones that she had had Morino-san oversee whilst she had been attending to other Sasuke-related affairs—she couldn't help but shake her head in exasperated bewilderment. How did they always make her putty in their diabolical hands?

With the pile of paperwork she had to sign off on in the wake of her rather abrupt absence, she was sure that she wasn't about to make it to the proposed beach bash this coming Saturday. And yet she had signed her soul away to the party devil himself, and there was no way out in sight. Sighing once more at the monotony of it all, the pink haired teacher dropped her pen on the desktop, rubbing her temples in a futile attempt to massage her impending migraine away as her thoughts moved on to more pressing matters.

Like having to deal with the utter perfection that was Saya strutting about in a bikini that was made to be worn by a body type like hers.

It wasn't that Sakura was unhappy in her body—quite the contrary, she was pleased by the fact that she had filled out so well considering her rather petite frame. Curves like hers were nothing to sneeze at, but when standing so near to the idealised standard for women's beauty, it was obvious that she would be self-conscious. After all, she had never made it a habit to display her body in such a crude manner in public; sex behind closed doors was one thing, but being so exposed—almost naked—in front of a successful model, in front of _Sasuke_ …?

Well.

That was daunting in and of itself. Part of the pinkette firmly believed that even _she_ could possibly turn Sasuke's head, if only for the shock factor of not being so scrawny and tomboyish anymore. But the larger part of her subconscious laughed derisively at the notion, brushing it off as mere whimsical fancy at best.

As _if_ Haruno Sakura could ever capture an inkling of Uchiha Sasuke's interest. It would be a cold day in hell before that ever happened.

Gnawing on her bottom lip was the only thing she could do to stave off her desire to groan aloud in mounting frustration, eyes deeply sunken with exhaustion as she stretched out her spine and rolled her shoulders in apparent determination. She was going to get this work done even if it killed her. It was her job; she was getting paid to do this, and so she wanted to do it to perfection. Besides, it made for a successful distraction from the pressing matters of her personal life, which should, in reality, never have touched the edges of her thoughts while she was under strict working conditions anyways.

Fingers curling around her red biro marker, Sakura slouched over her leaflets once more, intent on tasking herself and sticking to it when a chipper voice piped up from behind her.

"Why hello, favourite former student of mine. I take it you're feeling better?"

Jerking up in surprise—because _how the hell_ did he always get under her radar without her ever noticing his presence—Sakura spun around in her chair, only to be greeted by the medically masked face of her former sensei. He raised a slack hand in what appeared to be a half-assed attempt at a salute, silver hair in casual disarray as always as he stuffed the too-conspicuous orange novel in his remaining appendage into his slacks pocket.

"Yo." It was as nonplussed and indifferent as always, and relief washed over Sakura as she realised that he was acting as if nothing major had changed in her life at all in her absence, which was exactly what she had needed.

She had received nothing but sympathy from those around her when they had heard of the "loss" in her family, and while she had been grateful for their kind-hearted sentiments, it grew old very quickly when it was reiterated in a constantly perpetuating cycle.

"Good afternoon, Kakashi-sensei. I'm feeling much better; thank you for asking. I hope my leave wasn't too inconvenient for you." Sakura returned sweetly, bowing her head in subservience as he waved off her politeness with a nonchalant flick of his wrist.

"Not at all. I was thinking about giving you some time off to catch up with those morons of yours, so I suppose that was the universe's way of aligning with my intentions." Kakashi replied good-naturedly, dark eyes crinkling into a warm smile that was surely mirrored on his lips as he looked down at her.

A flicker of worry flittered across the features that were exposed to her, and Sakura felt guilt gnawing at the edges of her gut as he met her gaze with an aloofness that was mildly alarming.

"… But I see that your week away has taken its toll on you. Are you sure you're ready to be back so soon? You can take another week off if you need to." The elder man's tone was as diffident as his beloved Icha Icha trilogy was, which was not at all, as he pinned her in place with the look of a father about to scold their child.

Sakura flinched under his intense scrutiny, taking her bottom lip prisoner between her teeth once more as he allowed his concern to fully register with the quailing pinkette.

"I-I'm much better now, Kakashi-sensei. I really appreciate you taking the time to check up on me, but I really am fine now. Tired, but aren't I always? Being a languages teacher _does_ tend to exhaust the brain quickly, after all." Sakura began softly, trailing off in a wispy laugh as Kakashi scanned her countenance for the tell-tale signs of a lie. She cut him off before he had the chance to intervene on her behalf.

"Besides, from what I hear, it's _you_ who needs to take some time off. Doing _my_ general administration paperwork for me, even though you had a stack the size of Suna waiting on your own desk, while I was away? It was really kind of you, sensei. Thank you _so_ much. You really saved my hide. Again." Sakura smiled up at him, the expression dazzling and wiping away the sleep from her eyes as she stood from her seat, only to take his hand within her own seconds later.

She gave it a gentle squeeze, gratitude embedded into every line and contour of her face as she thanked him profusely for his selflessness with a deepening bow.

Flustered, and clearly caught off guard, Kakashi could only scratch the back of his head, a light dusting of pink staining his cheeks as he smiled sheepishly down at her shorter profile.

"It wasn't any trouble, Sakura. You've been so bogged down with work these last few months that I thought it was only fair to share the workload with you. As you've stated on numerous occasions, I _do_ tend to leave the important stuff off by the wayside. I figured the least I could do for all of your hard work was to lend you a hand." His deep baritone was sheepish for the first time in a long time, and Kakashi silently marvelled over the thrall she had over him to have him so deeply abashed all of a sudden.

He wasn't used to having his acts of charity exposed so candidly, especially not to his face, and it was all a little too mortifying to face head on. As if reading the underlying embarrassment in her former sensei's tone, Sakura erected herself from her grandiose display of thanks, green eyes forever grateful as she levelled him with her warmest smile.

"All the more reason to focus on doing _your own_ work instead of _mine_. But even so, I'm truly thankful for your consideration of me. And not just for the paperwork, but for covering for my absence and for taking my rostered classes as a substitute as well. You really outdid yourself, and I am blessed to have you in my life, sensei. Thank you." Sakura rebutted emphatically, voice firm with her conviction as she stood on her toes to press a kiss to his covered cheek.

His eyes widened comically, before he exhaled in apparent exasperation, his right hand coming up to ruffle her hair affectionately as he used to do when she was still a student. It was a nostalgic reminder of the good old days they had spent together in class, and she couldn't help but feel her affection for this aloof enigma grow even more so as he gazed down at her with lukewarm irises.

"It was my time to use, Sakura, and it was a pleasure none the less. Now if you will kindly excuse me, this old dog needs to go get his bone. The clouds outside call out to me."

Kakashi exclaimed conversationally, brushing off her gratitude with his trademark stoicism in the hopes of wringing from his body the lingering desire to touch her hair once more before he slipped out of the room and down the hallway with one final glance her way.

"You take care now, Sakura. If you ever find yourself in need of anything, you know where to find me."

And then he was gone, Sakura's reply dying on her lips as she merely smiled after his retreating form; a deepening warmth unravelling in her tummy as she mused over how fortunate she was to have so many people who cared about her watching her back even when she was unaware of it.

* * *

Saturday came faster than expected, in all honesty.

Sakura was so fatigued by the general concept of existing that when Naruto had tumbled into her bedroom in the wee hours of the morning, she had seriously considered skinning him alive and eating him for breakfast. But then rationality reminded her that cannibalism was both barbaric and too time consuming to deal with so early on in the day, and in her sleep-deprived mind the only thing that really mattered was not looking like a ghoul that had risen from the grave when she finally did face the music with Sasuke and Saya in turn.

So she reluctantly dragged her aching body from the sanctuary that was her bed—her one and only true love, for it was the one consistent thing she had going for her in her life right now—and crawled into the shower, hoping that the spray of wet heat would put some colour back into her pallid complexion.

Once she was adequately refreshed, hair washed and blow-dried within an inch of its life and a light touch of makeup applied to conceal some of the starker blemishes on her tired face, Sakura meandered into her room to dress.

Ino had swung by her place the night before to have dinner and catch up, bringing with her an expensive brand-made bikini that was surely too revealing for her tastes for her to wear the next day. It was white, and hugged her curves snuggly, and came with a sarong that was to be worn around her hips as a transparent defence mechanism of sorts (although the point of it was lost considering the fact that it was, in fact, see-through.)

"Pig, I really don't think this would suit me at all…" Sakura had quavered softly, anxiety seeping into her expression the longer she looked at the scanty bits of water-resistant fabric pinched precariously between the blonde's manicured fingertips.

"Of course it will, you dill!" Ino had scoffed contemptuously, brushing off her cynicism as she all but shoved the swimwear her way. Naruto had smartly made himself scarce during the exchange, busying himself in the living room with calling everyone he had invited to reaffirm their presences at the get-together the following afternoon.

"You have an incredible body, the kind every woman would turn green over, so stop your whinging and try it on already! I know you don't have anything better to wear, and you are _not_ getting out of swimming with me tomorrow, Forehead Girl."

And thus here Sakura was, stuck in the conundrum of braving the adversity of social media body image conformity pressures with confidence or just burying herself behind the lesser of two evils.

Just as she was about to cave into her insecurities, having nearly tucked the bikini away in her dresser's top drawer, she stopped. What if, by some extreme measure upon which it was already incredibly unlikely, she really _could_ catch Sasuke's eye, if only for a second? Wouldn't she revel in the knowledge that he had shown at least a little interest in her, even if it was entirely superficial? The pink haired woman knew that he was more likely to laugh at her than admire her, but still.

As long as the potential was there…

Inhaling shakily, Sakura dropped her towel onto the floor at her feet, stepping into the two-piecer without another thought about it. She glanced at her reflection in the floor to ceiling mirror across from her, noted the supple dips of wonton flesh that made up the bulk of her body mass, and felt anxiety creep up on her once more. This really was a bad idea.

Before she even had the chance to slip out of it, Naruto's boisterous voice rang out inside of her living room, startling her indefinitely.

"Hey Sakura-chan! Are you ready yet? Sasuke's here, and we're about to head out!"

Flustered by the mention of her love's name, Sakura stumbled over to her wardrobe, pulling out a salmon-coloured sundress and slipping it over her head before she slipped on a casual pair of sandals; grabbing the tote bag she had packed the evening before with Ino watching on with hawkish intent and hauling it over her shoulder in quick succession. She fluffed up her wavy tresses until they fell around her shoulders and neck in an eloquent mess, took a deep breath, and opened her bedroom door—advancing towards her inevitable doom with a look of maddening consternation on her face.

 _I'm going to lose face in front of them, I know it…!_

* * *

The sunlight was as bitingly scorching as it had been for the last four months, and Sakura fretted about her fair skin feeling its burn as she stepped onto the hot sand with Naruto in tow. Sasuke had parted ways with them so that he could pick Saya up from her photoshoot once it was finished and bring her back to the festivities; Sakura sucking up her urge to cuss aloud in spite of her for taking the raven haired man away from her once again lest she say and or do something that she knew she would come to regret in the long run.

The blonde had given her fingers a tentative squeeze as he entrapped them within thick fingertips that only served to emphasise the masculine transformation he had undergone over the years he had been away for.

Unlike Sasuke's, whose were surely crafted by Michelangelo the artisan himself, Naruto's were solid and wholly masculine, a rugged slab of marble that had yet to be polished and refined. They were two sides of a vast spectrum rolled into one whenever they were together, as they had never failed to summon the attentions of the fairer sex (and more blatantly from a few men as well) when they were out and about, and there was something poetic in that sentiment that summoned a fleeting smile to the pinkette's otherwise taut lips.

They had both grown so much in five years, whilst she had remained mostly unchanged. Her hand was as tiny as it had always been, but in their palms she felt truly small for the first time, and it frightened her a little.

She had never liked feeling vulnerable in the presence of others, because she was so used to being used and abused by people who saw her as less of a human being than they were that being put into a position of inequality rose her hackles indefinitely.

She knew that they, her boys, would never dream of making her feel out of place in her own skin, but as their shadows dwarfed hers out and submerged her in darkness, she couldn't help but feel like she was drowning in their perfection. To them, she would always be the weak-willed wallflower that they had to protect at all costs—and there was an inkling of spite that rose within her whenever she was reminded of this fact.

"Hey, Sakura-chan? Are you okay?" Naruto inquired softly, so that only she could hear him, his voice a beacon of concern as he fixed her with an indescribable stare.

It was filled with raw emotion, too many to identify at once, but she knew it was primarily worry that motivated him in pulling her aside. Sakura could only smile up at him, his tanned complexion glowing in the sunlight and lighting up his features in ways that were anything but unflattering. Envy unfurled in her gut, but she was quick to smother it. He could light up the world with just his smile alone; his good looks were only another facet of him to love and appreciate in silence.

Sakura had no reason to feel jealous over him; but then again, she was rife with insecurities of late. It was hard not to feel inadequate in spite of all of the good qualities she possessed, especially since she firmly believed that she couldn't hold a candle to either of the men that she loved so dearly.

"Yeah, I'm fine Naruto. Don't worry so much. This is supposed to be a happy occasion. It must just be the heat getting to me. I haven't been out for so long it's a little disorienting is all." The pinkette responded kindly, green eyes vivid in stark contrast to her skin.

A little of their previous shine had returned to polish their glassy surface, and it summoned a cheerful grin from the man alongside her. At least she wasn't moping about in her apartment anymore. The time for grieving, although perpetual, was over. She needed to pick up the shattered pieces of her fractured composure and put them back together again, so that she could once again learn to live.

"Are you one hundred percent, A-okay with being here, Sakura-chan? We can always go back home whenever you feel you aren't up to it." Naruto tacked on shamelessly, face sheepish as he took in the stubborn set of her jaw and the subtle shift from moroseness to annoyance that played across her pretty features.

Not good.

"Worry is _not_ your colour, Naruto, so please stop wearing it through to the very seams." Sakura rebuked with a chagrined scowl his way as he rose his hands in a defensive stance he used to adopt whenever she had threatened violence unto him as teenagers.

"Whoa there, Sakura-chan! I get the message! Please don't kick my ass in front of our friends!" The blonde proffered nervously, eyes a-skitter as he held her unwavering gaze with wary azure irises.

Before the pink haired woman could respond, a chipper, boisterous laugh boomed around them, and the pair quickly found themselves staring at the approaching form of Inuzuka Kiba, his best friend Aburame Shino trailing behind him with his hands buried firmly in his pants pockets.

"Well I don't know about you, Shino, but I'd really love to see Sakura put this idiot in his place!" The much-taller-than-Sakura-remembered-him-being Inuzuka exclaimed mockingly, tone as light as air as he fell into step with Naruto; the blonde had about a head of height over Kiba, but the brown haired man was hardly a slouch, and Sakura found herself pouting at the realisation that she was surrounded on all sides by larger people than herself.

Shino was slightly taller than his overly-vocal friend, but only marginally, and he still hid behind the glasses of his youth as he stared off to the side noncommittally. Clearly even being here was a miracle in and of itself, for he had always kept to himself in school, barely uttering two words her way in all of the years that she had known him for, and he never did attend any of the impromptu social gatherings that they had organised back in the day. Never the less he was a considerate young man, and had always offered her his silent respect, nodding to her in acknowledgment whenever they had a group project together before he hunkered down to work in peaceful quietude.

Even then, he cast her a lingering glance, his expression as neutral as ever as he gave her a thorough once over before he inclined his head slightly in greeting. Sakura smiled back at him, and he looked away, the need for formalities well and truly expended.

Kiba carried on, oblivious to their exchange as he clapped a firm hand on Naruto's shoulder in what appeared to be a show of comradery.

"It's good to see that your head's still screwed on the right way, you lame-ass dork! How's that broody boyfriend of yours doing lately?" He quipped, tone teasing as he grinned up at the disgruntled blonde with dark eyes.

Naruto visibly bristled, mouth twisting into an irritated grimace that signalled the beginnings of one of his famous bitch fits.

"Oi, shit for brains! No one likes a dog who's all bark but no bite! And teme is not in any way my boyfriend! He's nowhere near good enough for such a position!" He sniffed daintily, his voice all humour despite the maliciousness of his words.

It really went to show how well the two still got along, even after five years of absolutely no communication at all. They had been very close friends in school, after all.

Kiba laughed heartily, pulling Naruto in only to wrap his arm around his neck and yank him down so that he could hold him in a playful headlock. Said male's loud protestations fell on deaf ears, as the surrounding former classmates merely laughed at his misfortune as the brown haired male buried his closed fist in Naruto's shaggy locks and tousled them with the mechanical twisting of his wrist.

He was in the middle of jeering over his victory when he caught an eyeful of the giggling pinkette across from them, and he stopped dead in his tracks; mouth falling open in absolute surprise as he studied her features intently.

"Wait, _no fucking way_! _Sakura_? As in _Haruno_ Sakura, tomboyish book nerd with a body flatter than an ironing board? _That_ Sakura?" Kiba sputtered incoherently, tanned cheeks darkening with a blush the longer he took in the matured woman before him.

A part of Sakura was offended by his insensitive commentary, but then she remembered that this was _Kiba_ that she was dealing with. He had never possessed a brain-to-mouth filter, and had always spewed out the first words that came to the front of his musings; even if they were as idiotic as he usually was.

"I'm right here, Kiba. Thanks for that. It's really flattering to know that that's what you thought of me once upon a time." The pink haired teacher seethed with a nasty glower his way, lips taut with a scowl as he quavered in his place. Good. At least her reputation for violence still preceded her.

"A-Ah, my bad Sakura! It's just, _wow_ , uh… I mean I heard your voice, so I _knew_ it was you, but you—you look like a whole new person. N-Not that you weren't cute in school, because you _were_! It's just, _holy crap_ —these last five years have done you every service known to man. You look fantastic." Kiba placated with a flirtatious smile her way, his white canine teeth peeking out between his lips as he grinned down at her.

She was as short as ever, but good lord the body she had on her now… it made him weak in the knees, and more than a little lightheaded. How had he never noticed her until now?

Shino, who had until that point remained stoically quiet, cast his friend a look that was borderline exasperated, his lips parting to berate him for being an idiot.

"… You are a moron. You failed to acknowledge Sakura-san, just as you always do with me. She is right to be irritated with you. I always am." His tone was soft and deep, a luxury that had often been taken for granted in high school, for it was truly a rarity indeed whenever he had deigned someone worthy of his time.

Him speaking up on Sakura's behalf was progressive in and of itself, and as he turned his sights to her, she couldn't help but feel her cheeks flush slightly. What an honour it was, to have Aburame Shino spare a few of his limited words for her sake. Naruto and Kiba both wore mirrored looks of shocked disbelief, but unlike his blonde counterpart—who had never once heard the other man speak in all of the years that he had known him for—Kiba was quick to move past the obscurity of the incident.

"Oh come off it, Shino! I was surprised, okay? I didn't think Sakura would have grown up so much in such a short time! I was just paying her a compliment."

"… A very backhanded one at that." Shino digressed after a moment's deliberation, before he about-faced and sauntered off to find a shady place to relax in, not once looking back to see if his wolfish friend was following after him.

Said man only slouched in evident defeat, expression the epitome of martyrdom as he exhaled loudly into the din that had settled between the three of them.

"Man, you'd think after all this time he would at least learn to be a little more, I dunno, _nice_? His poor mother must cry herself to sleep over that lost cause…" Kiba mused tentatively, an exaggerated sense of faux melancholy flittering across his face as he stretched out his back and revelled in the sunlight on his bronzed skin.

He really did look great, incredibly well-proportioned and toned from keeping fit. Sakura could appreciate a good looking man when she saw one, even if he did have the emotional capacity of a teaspoon. He turned his dark stare her way, a quiet kind of admiration lingering in every line and contour of his countenance as he took her in in careful silence. After a moment or two he peeled his intent gaze away from her, expression remorseful as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm really sorry about that, Sakura. I always talk shit first and think later; I didn't mean anything by it, honest." His tone was sincere, and when he turned to face her fully once more, he was proper about it, posture apologetic as he scratched his cheek plaintively.

Sakura could only sigh. She had forgiven him the moment the words had left his lips, because she knew that they had been superfluous in nature and hardly of scathing intent. It had always been in Kiba's nature to be a bigmouth. It wasn't any skin off her back. She shrugged, tucking a renegade strand of hair behind her ear as she looked up into his sheepish visage with bright green eyes. The one good thing about taller people was that they blocked out the sun's rays when they stood in front of her, and she revelled in not having to stare into glaring sunlight even as she cursed her genetics to hell and back.

"Not to worry, you doofus. I'm not annoyed by it or anything, mostly because it was true once upon a time. You are forgiven." Sakura murmured sweetly, tone sagely and gentle as she summoned the most genuine smile she could manage considering her unpleasant circumstances.

Kiba's dark cheeks reddened significantly under that expression, and he had to bite his lip at the dazzling quality to her expression as she craned her neck to look up at him. _Goddamn_ was she _gorgeous_ as _fuck_ …

Before he could even utter a word of thanks her way, a sultry voice, eerily and gratingly familiar, sounded from not too far away, an edge of hostility lying dormant in their tone as they both turned to face the newcomer.

"Hey, Sasuke! You finally made it!" Naruto exclaimed with a jubilant grin, expression wilting slightly when he noted Saya's presence alongside him as they walked along the hot sand towards them hand in hand. It didn't last long, however, as his full-wattage grin blossomed across his features once more when he noted the straggler that was walking off to the side of the couple.

"Ohhh, Itachi-nii! It's great to see you again!" The blonde boomed loudly, tone seeping with unadulterated admiration for the elder of the Uchiha siblings as he ran over to meet with them half way.

Sakura felt her heart flutter at the mention of her love, hardly stuttering a beat at the sight of Saya as she admired the way the sunlight hit Sasuke's covered body. Unlike the other men around her, who were in varying stages of undress, the raven haired Uchiha remained impeccably pristine as ever, and his unearthly good looks were only enhanced a thousandfold with the addition of his older brother.

Itachi had been Sakura's very first crush as a little girl, and she would be forever weak to his moody stare and poster boy beauty.

He was the literal definition of prince charming, with long mahogany tresses tied back at the base of his skull that flowed sensually down his back and the darkest eyes she had ever seen in her life. They sparkled with wisdom and intellect, and were second only to Sasuke's. Whilst Itachi's were expressive, they were cautious around everyone; Sasuke's were often contemplatively broody, but an open book to her.

That contrast was one of the very factors that helped the pinkette to transition from one brother to the other—for how could she possibly hope to grow close to a man whose eyes betrayed nothing of what he was truly feeling inside?

Never the less, Sakura shared an amicable relationship with the older man, adored him as he did her, and the pull of longing in her tummy was a confused mixture of feminine appreciation and awe that stemmed from the platonic and sexual notions within her. He had always had the ability to make her insides a sticky mess of wonton desire, but this was just ridiculous.

Kiba smirked at the mounting fluster brewing within the pinkette, and slipped away to find Shino with a wordless glance over his shoulder at her preoccupied features. It was clear there was no room for him to intervene here, that she had a clear preference, and so the dark haired man slipped away with a wry smile on his lips. He couldn't ever win against an Uchiha; young _or_ old.

Itachi's expression was as considerate as always as he looked into Naruto's eyes with the patience of a saint. Very few had ever been able to handle the blonde in full-throttle, but the elder man had always had a knack for cracking tough nuts and keeping them humoured with grace, and Naruto was no different. In fact, Itachi had a truly soft-hearted disposition, and was besotted with the younger man; for he had been a true friend to his little brother, and he would always be indebted to him for keeping him safe where he couldn't.

"I wouldn't have missed this for the world. It has been far too long since I saw you and Sasuke last, and while I'm in town I'd like to touch base with you both. Mother would kill me if I did anything less." Itachi stated resolutely, tenor smooth and rich with eloquence as he smiled gently at the two boys—men, he internally corrected himself—who were his family.

Sasuke looked a little bit ruffled by the evident concern in Itachi's voice, but the pleasure of being in his presence once more overrode that. They really were as close as siblings could be, as neither had been so comfortable in the presence of others in a very long time. Naruto was likened to an excitable puppy, metaphorical tail wagging to and fro as he smiled with the brilliance of a thousand suns, whilst Sasuke was considerably tamer in his quiet joy.

Saya had remained impartial through it all, a thoughtful expression on her lovely face as she observed Itachi with the same wary awe that most women utilised when graced with his attentions. She had met his parents briefly many months beforehand when Sasuke had dropped by on his trip to Otogakure—where they now lived quite happily in retirement—but had missed the chance to be introduced to the ever-esteemed aniki that Sasuke adored so implicitly. Now, up close and personal, she could see why he was so well-liked by those around him, for he had a magnetism and charisma that rivalled that of her lover's.

The beauty was pulled from her musings when another voice entered the fray, an abased shyness to their tone making them immediately discernible from the noise projecting around them.

"You're just like fine wine, Itachi nii-san. Timeless and better looking with age, it seems."

Said man levelled the newcomer with a curious stare, turning to face her fully as she approached him before recognition flickered across his handsome features mere moments later. Itachi was genuinely taken aback. He had not expected to meet _her_ here.

"And just like your namesake suggests, you blossomed into a beauty without compare. Hello, Sakura. It has been far too long." Itachi responded softly, the kindness of his disposition not going unnoticed to those around them.

He had visibly melted into a man who was completely at ease with his surroundings, his natural charm wafting off of him in droves as he sent Sakura his most sensual smile yet. One thing Itachi was fatally weak to was an attractive woman, but what he loved more so than even that was the fact that this very woman was so dear to his heart. He had grown up fostering a brotherly bond with both Naruto and Sakura, and he felt very strongly about them; they may not be his own flesh and blood, but he cared for them just the same. And seeing how beautifully they had both grown up, into upstanding adults with the same purity of heart as they had had twenty years ago, was truly gratifying.

Sakura's cheeks were on fire, and she was sure that they would liquefy into nothingness should he keep staring at her with the smouldering intensity that all Uchiha men had miraculously mastered.

He was just as attractive, inside and out, as he had been the last time she had seen him, and she was humbled by his praise.

"It isn't fair, you know. You just keep getting better and better to look at, and here I am, unchanged and frumpy as always." Sakura mused breathily, heart jump starting into overdrive as he reached out to brush his thumb against her jaw. He chuckled at the perpetual pout of her lips, and he couldn't help but ponder on how malleable they would inevitably be against his own even as he parted them to speak.

"Trust me when I say that you are as far from frumpy as can be. In fact, your loveliness is as such that angels would surely weep in your presence, imōto-chan."

The affectionate nickname of her youth made her heart skip a beat, and she dazzled all within vicinity of her with her brightest smile yet. It had been the right thing to do, bringing her to the beach. That was the one thought that flittered through Naruto's mind as he watched their interaction with tender eyes. Itachi had always had this aura about him that soothed the pain in others, and made them their truest self in his presence.

If anyone could lick her wounds clean, it was him.

Throughout the entirety of their exchange, Sasuke had to suppress his urge to bury his brother six feet under; an unsettling tidal wave of jealousy dragging him down with it as he watched the colour rise in Sakura's cheeks when his brother wrapped her up in a friendly embrace that was _too_ _close_ for comfort.

Too… _cosy_.

Too _familiar_.

Too disgusting for words.

A part of him was sure it was merely because Itachi was _his_ brother, not _hers_. He should be hugging _him_ like that, not _her_.

But as he observed the curling of his elder sibling's fingertips against the supple flesh of Sakura's covered body, and the deepening slouch of his imposing stature folding around hers like he _belonged_ there (like _he_ was a part of the puzzle that made up the pink haired woman's entire existence as he knew it), Sasuke knew that that was the furthest thing from the truth he had ever pondered upon.

Deep down, in his heart of hearts, the raven haired Uchiha subliminally recognised that that was where he wanted to be—entangled within the spider web of Sakura's light, lost in the warmth of her arms as Itachi was.

His tightening vice grip on Saya's hand was the only physical descriptor of his displeasure, but as the aforementioned woman glanced up at his handsome profile in order to gauge his expression, she found that there was only a single emotion discernible to her keen eyesight.

And it was one that chilled her to the bone and turned her blood into ice water.

 _Love_.

It was love.

But the bigger question, the one of most import, was for _who_ that love was so evidently pronounced for.

 _Tell me, Sasuke. Is it Itachi-san… or Sakura-san? Which do you care for more that you would look so forlorn on their behalf? Which of them… do you love more than me…?_

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 **…TBC…**

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 **Ending Remarks:** _And the plot thickens. If this comes off as nonsensical drivel; it is. I apologise, my writer's block it getting the better of me, so I am merely unloading in this chapter._

 _I will try to be more consistent next time._

 _Please consider leaving me a review._

 _Until next time!_

-x- **R** _i_ n-x-


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